Comments on: Well at Covent Garden not working http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/ Guyana News, Sports, Businesss and Entertainment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:31:45 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Brandon Samaroo (PPP is now the new and improved PNC Dictatorship) http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-176523 Brandon Samaroo (PPP is now the new and improved PNC Dictatorship) Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:30:35 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-176523 you know why this well is not working? 28 years of PHENC rule ow laudo how we survive the 28 years ah doan know.... you know why this well is not working? 28 years of PHENC rule ow laudo how we survive the 28 years ah doan know….

]]> By: waterman http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-175985 waterman Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:39:55 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-175985 Are you referring to hand dug wells in Barbados? Then Thompson, and his crew at the BWA, ought to make a field trip to those well locations and study the Hydrogeology there. Then they would learn something about drilling dependable and affordable water wells for their people. And, consequently, they wouldn't have to keep raising the water rates. Please refer to the link on water rates increase in Barbados. http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/regional/07/01/water-rates-in-barbados-to-go-up-60/comment-page-2/#comments Are you referring to hand dug wells in Barbados? Then Thompson, and his crew at the BWA, ought to make a field trip to those well locations and study the Hydrogeology there. Then they would learn something about drilling dependable and affordable water wells for their people. And, consequently, they wouldn’t have to keep raising the water rates. Please refer to the link on water rates increase in Barbados.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/regional/07/01/water-rates-in-barbados-to-go-up-60/comment-page-2/#comments

]]> By: waterman http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-175980 waterman Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:19:14 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-175980 You are correct. Some hand dug wells have been running for centuries. It all depends on the geology at that well site location. If you are referring to hand dug wells in Barbados then my guess is that those wells either tap or is recharged by the prolific limestone formations. You are correct. Some hand dug wells have been running for centuries. It all depends on the geology at that well site location.

If you are referring to hand dug wells in Barbados then my guess is that those wells either tap or is recharged by the prolific limestone formations.

]]> By: Sanderson Rowe http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-175417 Sanderson Rowe Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:13:15 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-175417 I've heard an engineer voice similar concerns recently. But looking around, there are some wells, hand dug over 100 years ago that are still functioning I’ve heard an engineer voice similar concerns recently. But looking around, there are some wells, hand dug over 100 years ago that are still functioning

]]> By: waterman http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-175189 waterman Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:59:22 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-175189 This is just the tip of the iceburg. Expect much more water well failures to surface in the not too distant future. And the government continues to issue multimillion-dollar contracts to "oil well drillers" to drill water wells (eg Grove/Diamond well). As I said before in this newspapers, oil well drillers are not trained to drill water wells. There is a very simple soultion to the Covent Garden well problem. I can outline this solution. But if the government has the professional expertise to address the problem, then they should step up to the plate. The GWI PRO is only talk. The situation is critical. No more time for talk. Either Put UP or Shut Up. This is just the tip of the iceburg. Expect much more water well failures to surface in the not too distant future. And the government continues to issue multimillion-dollar contracts to “oil well drillers” to drill water wells (eg Grove/Diamond well). As I said before in this newspapers, oil well drillers are not trained to drill water wells.

There is a very simple soultion to the Covent Garden well problem. I can outline this solution. But if the government has the professional expertise to address the problem, then they should step up to the plate. The GWI PRO is only talk. The situation is critical. No more time for talk. Either Put UP or Shut Up.

]]> By: waterman http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/letters/07/03/well-at-covent-garden-not-working/comment-page-1/#comment-175165 waterman Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:06:53 +0000 http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=50341#comment-175165 According to a Chronicle newspapers article dating back to June of 2003, GWI spent $562 million on a water project which was supposed to benefit 65,000 persons living between Eccles and Friendship (including Covent Garden, Diamond Grove,and Mocha/Arcadia) . Toolsie Persaud laid the pipelines and Atkins international supervised the entire project. Just in the past few weeks the government signed a multimillion-dollar contract for the drilling of a well to serve the Grove/Diamond and Belle Vue areas. I made some technical comments in this newspapers on this contract at that time. If the government continues not to demand that water well contractors perform their obligations in accordance with the basic minimum well drilling design standards, then they are going to have more frequent occurrences like the critical situation with the Covent Garden well. As I pointed out before in this newspapers, oil well drillers are not trained to drill water wells. And this is the kind of people who were contracted by your government to drill your water wells (Well & Oil Service of Trinidad&Tobago). A properly tested, designed and maintained water well should have a life span of at least 50 years. I can guarantee that those expensive wells being currently drilled will not last 5 years, if that long, without major problems. As I look around the country, I see quite frequent reports of major water well problems. These problems are not going to "go away". In fact, be prepared to expect a vast increase in these complaints due mainly to the absence of critical well data, which the government is not collecting, and a non-existent maintainence water well program. Then the GWI is going to want to raise water rates to "fix" the problem. The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) and the Trinidad&Tobago Water And Sewerage Authority (WASA) are facing the exact same dilemma as GWI. BWA and WASA have announced intentions to raise water rates but these are being greeted by very strong public opposition. The Thompson and Manning Admindtrations are under fire for this. According to a Chronicle newspapers article dating back to June of 2003, GWI spent $562 million on a water project which was supposed to benefit 65,000 persons living between Eccles and Friendship (including Covent Garden, Diamond Grove,and Mocha/Arcadia) . Toolsie Persaud laid the pipelines and Atkins international supervised the entire project.

Just in the past few weeks the government signed a multimillion-dollar contract for the drilling of a well to serve the Grove/Diamond and Belle Vue areas. I made some technical comments in this newspapers on this contract at that time.

If the government continues not to demand that water well contractors perform their obligations in accordance with the basic minimum well drilling design standards, then they are going to have more frequent occurrences like the critical situation with the Covent Garden well.

As I pointed out before in this newspapers, oil well drillers are not trained to drill water wells. And this is the kind of people who were contracted by your government to drill your water wells (Well & Oil Service of Trinidad&Tobago).

A properly tested, designed and maintained water well should have a life span of at least 50 years. I can guarantee that those expensive wells being currently drilled will not last 5 years, if that long, without major problems.

As I look around the country, I see quite frequent reports of major water well problems. These problems are not going to “go away”. In fact, be prepared to expect a vast increase in these complaints due mainly to the absence of critical well data, which the government is not collecting, and a non-existent maintainence water well program.

Then the GWI is going to want to raise water rates to “fix” the problem. The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) and the Trinidad&Tobago Water And Sewerage Authority (WASA) are facing the exact same dilemma as GWI. BWA and WASA have announced intentions to raise water rates but these are being greeted by very strong public opposition. The Thompson and Manning Admindtrations are under fire for this.

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