GWI to acquire tankers for emergency situations

Georgetown, GINA, June 9, 2016

The Guyana Water Incorporated is looking at ways to improve its emergency response system. The water company is in the process of acquiring three mobile water tankers to dispense potable water in emergency situations.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Richard Van West Charles said there is need for a more sophisticated distribution systems for emergency situations. “We are in the mode now of  having at least three tanks manufactured, right here in Guyana, which  can be put on tractor-trailers, and at the least, they would carry a minimum of 1500 gallons of water,” he said.

The CEO explained that GWI would be able to provide water to its customers if for some reason; there is a failure in the system.  The portable tanker would be used to provide water to the affected communities.

The CEO says GWI should have more tankers available to respond to emergencies, as “It is inevitable that you are going to have problems with outages, break down of the pumps.”  “ Where are now we are trying to ensure that our level of redundancies across the country is improved even in the hinterland, because what operated previous you had the one pump, but there is no level of redundancy in the system,” he added.

The water company is also seeking to import additional pumps so that if a pump or motor stops working, it can be replaced quickly. This way, residents would not be without water for a long period.

Residents in the Diamond Housing Scheme have been experiencing water shortage for the past week. The well servicing the area was breached and contaminated with mud.

The water company is using tanks to deliver water to the residents while they try to fix the well. Two additional wells will be added to the community by year-end.