GWI’s application backlog to be cleared in 2 months – CEO

…incomplete treatment projects being fixed to improve water quality

Within the next two months, Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will clear its existing application backlog, allowing new applicants to access water services within just two weeks.
This was the position shared by Chief Executive Officer, Sheik Baksh during a press conference on Friday. He noted that the company was inherited with some 5000 applications in the system – to which they were able to clear 4500 of those within the past eight months.
“You have 5000 citizens over the last three years in the backlog that could not receive a water service although you applied for it and you were willing to pay for it. We have now reduced that to 500. The backlog is 500 and within a month or two, we’ll clear off all of that. So, anybody can apply for a water service and within two weeks, we can their water service,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, several projects which commenced and were left incomplete for years, are now being fulfilled in order to provide better services and water quality to the population.
Over at Sophia, he said it has been five years since a storage facility was left incomplete at the treatment plant. Now, efforts are in place to ensure that it is operational this year, improving their output to several communities.
“The treatment plant that was built five years ago, the new storage was left. If the money was spent to complete that storage facility, residents of Sophia would not be in the position of receiving a low level of water service. This was never activated and at a great cost it was built. We are now restoring that tank this year and you’ll see a significant improvement in the level of service in all of those areas; Cummings Lodge, Sophia and so on.”
According to him, the company has an incomplete filtration system as Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and equipment was left abandoned in the compound. Now, an additional $40 million has been set aside to have this facility up and running.
“What you see there is a foundation incomplete and nothing was done to install a huge storage tank which is there in the compound at Eccles. Other equipment was abandoned there. What we’re doing there now as we speak is that we’ve contracted the firm which did the work to come back at a cost of $40 million to remedy this situation,” Baksh pointed out.
It was outlined that at Vergenoegen, Grove, Covent Garden and other areas, residents have complained about similar water quality issues.
“Where was the money going? There was no money available because of the reckless expenditure…But I want to tell the residents of Grove, Covent Garden and the East Bank corridor that this year, they will receive treated water and water to world health standards. We’re working on that as I speak and they can even drink the water from the taps,” the CEO assured.
In eight months, they were able to bring leakages across the country down from 11,000 to just 200. The utility company is also investing in pumps to outfit the various facilities.
“We are spending $900 million for electromechanical equipment, all the pumps. We didn’t have pumps. A plant goes down and we’re really in a big problem of getting all the pumps replaced and these things. We’ll be getting a large set of pumps, submersible and the other types.”