Riverview to benefit from continuous water supply

―GWI to run solar powered pumps

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, June 19, 2019

The community of Riverview is expected to benefit from a continuous supply of water.

Manager of the Guyana Water Incorporated’s Bartica Branch, Neil Thomas, disclosed that the Agency has already began works to convert the community’s pumps from being powered by Fuel to Solar Energy.

This was in response to requests from residents during a community meeting following the ninth ‘Government Comes to You’ outreach held in Bartica, Region 7 on June 18-19.

The well located in the Holy Name Primary School Compound.

Minister Bulkan is given a demonstration of how the new water system works by GWI’s Bartica Manager, Neil Thomas.

Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder.

Minister of Education Dr Nicolette Henry.

The residents gathered at the meeting.

Eddis Williams.

Also present at the meeting was Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Education Dr. Nicolette Henry and Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder.

The community wells are operating with a generator and therefore there is intermittent supply during the day. During the meeting, Eddis Williams, a community representative highlighted the need for there to be “pumps to pump the water out of the current two wells available to the village, and for additional wells to be built to serve the communities”

Minister Bulkan directed Thomas to update the residents on the utility company’s plans to improve their current water situation.

In his response, Thomas relayed that “GWI is carrying out interventions for the water situation in the community and are currently installing solar panels on pumps that we have already installed in the wells in River’s View.” This photovoltaic system will afford a continuous supply during the day.

This announcement was well received by those residents’ present, who were also informed of GWI’s plans to run several standpipes through the village to ensure that+ every villager has access to potable water.

One of the wells to be upgraded is currently outfitted with a handpump but will be upgraded to a solar powered submersible pump, whereas the other well already had a submersible pump however it was run on a Generator.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Bulkan was treated with a demonstration of the pump working on solar energy to fill the water tanks at the Holy Name Primary School.

Images: Leon Leung