Maintenance works underway on Noitgedacht Well in Wakenaam

-residents receiving water on a rotational basis 

Residents of various communities on Wakenaam Island will soon enjoy improved service and a more reliable supply of treated water as maintenance works are currently underway on the Noitgedacht Well.

These efforts are being carried out by Guyana Water Incorporated’s (GWI) in-house team.

During an inspection of the well station on Saturday, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, acknowledged that residents had been experiencing low water pressure and poor quality over the past few weeks.

The new well, commissioned two years ago, has developed several issues in recent months. To address this, swift interventions were made to service the existing well and ensure residents receive a supply of clean water.

“Once successful, we will then start the servicing of the newer well. This will be completed in about four days,” Minister Croal assured the residents.

He continued, “We are asking for your cooperation and patience. We must do this to restore service to normalcy as service will be further disrupted for about one week and a half.”

During this period, residents in the Northwestern and Southeastern areas will receive water on a 24-hour rotational basis from the old well. Additionally, both wells are undergoing deep cleaning, which is anticipated to be completed shortly.

Within eight days, all residents will receive water from the new well, while the old well will serve as a backup.

Minister Croal also revealed that the new well will support a new water treatment facility to be constructed on the island, which has a population of about 4,000. The facility is expected to be constructed by the first quarter of 2025.

Welcoming this new development, the Chairman of Wakenaam’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Sheikh Ahmad, noted that the island will benefit significantly from the new treatment plant.

“Residents are going to be happy with the announcement…I must say thank you to the government and the president for fulfilling this [promise] that he made two years ago,” the chairman said. 

The minister was joined by GWI’s Regional Manager, Aggrey Anderson, GWI’s Director of Operations, Sunildatt Barran, Chairman of Wakenaam’s NDC, Sheik Hamad, and other engineers from GWI and the Ministry of Public Works.