GWI staff in Netherlands for well maintenance training
(Georgetown, Monday, October 29, 2018) – A five member team from Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is currently in the Netherlands undergoing a three week well regeneration training which will enable the utility to better maintain its wells, while reducing the effects on customers during such exercises.
Those participating in the training are: Operations Director, Dwayne Shako; Well Maintenance Engineer, Kerene Gordon; Maintenance Manager, Peter Barkoye; Driver/Expeditor, Sean Moore and Craftsman, Timothy Sutton.
GWI had earlier this year announced the procurement of equipment for well maintenance, which included a regeneration vehicle which was sourced from Dutch company, Q-Flow International and which is equipped with the necessary well maintenance tools.
The training, conducted by Q-Flow International, equips the participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to adequately utilise said vehicle for well development, regeneration and capacity increasing. The practical component of the training sees the participants utilising that very vehicle.
According to Dutch newspaper, Tubantia, upon completion of the training in the Netherlands, the regeneration vehicle will be shipped to South America and a second round of training will take place in Suriname.
GWI has 141 wells countrywide and the company’s Operations Director, Dwayne Shako is quoted by Tubantia as saying “Guyana is a water-rich country, but we must be able to guarantee sufficient clean water and this means that all wells must be in excellent condition to be able to extract enough water. Our country and the company have invested a lot for this. They rely on us now.”
The newspaper also quotes Engineer, Kerene Gordon, the only female team member, as saying “Work is done very structured in the Netherlands – I love it. And the way in which maintenance takes place in Guyana, is basically the same. Only the methods here are much more developed. We will soon apply in Guyana what we have learned here.”
As a result of the new equipment and the training of the utility’s key personnel to operate same, GWI will be able to prevent a reduced level of service and disruption of the water supply to citizens during the maintenance of its wells.