24-hour water supply imminent for Diamond – GWI Head

After months of work, the new well at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) is now back in operation, and according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Shaik Baksh, the community will soon be benefitting from 24-hour water supply.
The new well at Sixth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, was drilled in July last year and work has been ongoing since to restore service to the community. It was previously reported that the community will get 24-hour service with the new well but when operations commenced late last month, there was only full water supply in the mornings and evenings.
According to GWI’s Operations Director, Sunildatt Barran, the service currently runs from 04:00h to 12:00h daily and then the pressure drops until 17:00h when it increases and runs until 22:00h.
Baksh told Guyana Times that the water supply in the Diamond Housing Scheme will eventually return to 24 hours.

“We have plans right now [to return water supply to 24 hours in Diamond]. We have another well that is being completed at Covent Garden; it should be finished this month and then the pressure will be 24 hours,” the CEO stated.
He explained that at the Diamond well, the break in service supply is to allow for the refilling of the tanks and backwashing, etc. However, he noted that the new well at Covent Garden, EBD, will add to the pressure and enhance the water supply for surrounding communities including Diamond.
“So, 24-hour service is imminent,” the GWI Head assured.
A new well had to be drilled in Diamond following the collapse of the old well that served the community in May 2023, causing hardship to residents in that community as well as in Peter’s Hall, Prospect, and some sections of Grove.
Despite the efforts of GWI engineers to revive the old well, it proved unsuccessful. They experienced some challenges due to unusual clay formation which collapsed at various points. The new well was drilled by GWI’s in-house team. The well was dug to a depth of 800 feet and is expected to provide a water supply of approximately 220 cubic feet per minute.
The Government of Guyana has allocated significant funds to improve water access and quality on the East Bank of Demerara and throughout the country. In addition to Diamond, a new well has been completed in Eccles, EBD, which will benefit residents in that community and extend to Providence, EBD. Furthermore, the treatment plant in Eccles is being upgraded with two additional filters, and plans are underway to lay transmission lines that will provide treated water to residents, including those in new housing areas. These improvements are estimated to cost $800 million.
In Covent Garden, drilling for a new well is currently in progress and is expected to be completed later this month. Additionally, work is scheduled for August to upgrade the treatment plant with two more filters, increasing its capacity to produce treated water.
The treatment plant in Grove is also undergoing an upgrade, which includes the installation of two additional filters. There are also plans to establish a new well in the community.
The Government has approved a $1.3 billion project to install transmission lines from Grove to Eccles, to bolster the supply of treated water. Baksh hopes that within one month, contractors will be able to mobilise the necessary materials and manpower to commence this project.
An investment of over $5 billion is being made to improve the water supply and the quality of treated water in all the housing areas on the East Bank of Demerara. Similar improvements will be carried out on the East Coast of Demerara.