Increase reports of typhoid reported at Tapakuma

…GWI assists in disinfecting Tapakuma well

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has assisted residents of Tapakuma, Region Two, (Pomeroon-Supenaam) to sanitise the well in the community, which is used by most of the residents as their sole means of water supply.
According to reports from the Community Health Centre, some 10-15 persons have displayed symptoms of typhoid, with the majority testing positive for the infection.
GWI officials visited the region on Friday last, and assured residents of Tapakuma that all measures are being implemented to improve the quality of water supplied to the community
“We have found that the distribution network is made up of lines that are more than four years old, with no flush-out points, and (there is) incrustation caused by the high levels of iron,” the GWI said in a statement on Friday.
Efforts are also being made to upgrade the current network by installing flush-out valves, disinfecting lines, and reducing the iron content in the water.
Residents note that they practise rain water harvesting and dig their own ponds due to their reluctance to use water supplied by a shallow community well.
Drilled by the Regional Administration, the well, supported by aged infrastructure, produces water with high iron content.