Although the recent shutdown experienced in Central Georgetown was a sharp reminder that there is much critical work to be done, Guyana Water Inc (GWI) yesterday reported significant gains for 2019, including attaining 97% and 85% access to potable water by coastal and hinterland regions, respectively,
During its end-of-year press engagement, held at the company’s Vlissingen Road headquarters, GWI’s Managing Director Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, flanked by various staff members, shared that GWI’s efforts have ensured 97% of the populations in Regions 2 to 6, and Region 10, now have access to potable water, while hinterland populations are a little behind, with 85% of the population in those areas enjoying access.
Van West-Charles also disclosed that as of November 2019, GWI spent approximately $12 billion, while raking in revenue in excess of $5.1 billion, which represents a 20 percent increase for the same period last year. The difference is more than approximately $7 billion.
Further, while the company has managed to reduce the net loss for the period January to November 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, Van West-Charles said the company is still in a deficit of almost $3 billion, which he says is debt which is the result of unpaid bills.
Nigel Niles, Secretary to the GWI Board of Directors, said that currently the company has commenced litigation against various persons who owe more than $50,000, while a list of persons with similar debt is constantly being updated for such action.
In elaborating, Van West-Charles noted that the offenders are more often than not large operators as opposed to the “small man.”
Van West-Charles said that the reduction in losses is the result of a decision and move by the company to, as far as possible, discontinue contracting out various services, and the use of machinery. Instead, he says, GWI has purchased pertinent machinery which it needs, while much of the services required are now done in-house.
However, several challenges continue to plague the GWI’s operations, such as the aged nature of the water and sewer lines across central Georgetown.
Last Saturday, residents of central Georgetown were left without water for hours after a major pipeline suffered damage and had to be repaired. The areas affected were Kitty, Campbellville, Subryan-ville, Bel Air, Queenstown, Alberttown, Bourda, Robbstown, Lacytown, Cummingsburg, Wortman-ville, Lodge, Thomas Lands, Charlestown and Albouystown.
The advisory of the damage and need for repairs was posted just before 11 am, and works were completed around 8.30 pm, although it took some time for water flow to return to some areas. Van West-Charles explained that the transmission lines, including mains, in Central Georgetown are very old, over 100 years in some places, and are extremely encrusted.
Executive Director of Operations, Dwayne Shako, told reporters that GWI has ramped up its capacity in terms of the strength of the pumps which generate pressure, thereby taking water throughout the system to customers. But the aged nature of the pipes, Shako said, prevents GWI from operating its equipment at full capacity, lest more damage occur.
Van West-Charles said that GWI is examining ways to replace the old pipes in a way that does not cause significant inconvenience to customers.
Additional challenges include accessing yards to read meters, and communities which are physically hostile to meter readers. Van West-Charles said that in light of these realities, GWI is exploring the possibility of deploying smart meters, which can be read from the street and shut off remotely if needed.
Improvements
In his presentation, Van West-Charles also noted that water quality has constantly improved from 2017 to 2019. In 2017, 47% of samples of water leaving the treatment facilities and 49% of samples of water in the distribution lines met guideline requirements. As at December 2019, however, these figures were 82% and 85%, respectively.
Van West-Charles explained that the improvements are due to innovations in the company’s’ processes, including improved certified facilities, and increased testing. In 2019, approximately 66,235 tests were carried out across all regions, he shared, while noting that these are monumental increases over figures in 2015 (9,586), and 2018 (12,530).
The result is that approximately 95% to 100% of the water supplied to customers now meets World Health Organization (WHO) standards, Van West-Charles said. While he admitted that in some cases “brown-coloured” or sediment-filled water does reach customers, he said this is the result of, in part, encrusted transmission systems, as opposed to what is produced at the plant.
Chemicals and heavy metals
Van West-Charles also revealed that testing for heavy metals has shown that levels are within those stipulated by WHO guidelines. Further, testing of oxidation filters at the Agricola Pump station has proven to remove 985 of iron from water, prompting considerations for the roll out of these filters system-wide.
GWI is also looking to reduce the use of aluminum sulfate and lime by 50% in favour of poly-aluminum chloride, which is anticipated to reduce chemical costs by $20 million, while maintaining efficiency. The company is also aiming to further reduce the use of chemicals in its processes by 70% by 2020.
GWI’s gains were recognised by the United Nations, which in its latest Human Development Index noted that 96% of the population is using at least basic drinking water sources, while 86% of the population is reported as using at least basic sanitation facilities.
In addition to access, Van West-Charles shared that the company has managed to ensure that 75% of Guyana’s population now receives water on a 24-hour basis in many areas, which he said previous to 2015 received water for 4, 6, 12, or 18 hours a day. He said GWI’s mission is to ensure a 24-hour service across Guyana, including the hinterland regions.
Billing and responsiveness
He also said that since 2016, GWI’s billing efficiency and responses to consumer complaints have remained in the 90th percentile, with the exception of 2018, where only 65% of commercial complaints were resolved within GWI’s timeframe. In fact, Van West-Charles said that as per GWI’s five-year Strategic Plan (2017-2021), the company is seeking to achieve more than 95% metering of customers.
In 2019, 99% of the company’s customer database were successfully billed, while 100% of commercial complaints were resolved within the timeframe.
Regarding meters, the company reported that between 2018 and 2019, over 20,000 new meters have been installed, allowing for better monitoring, and hydraulic function, and allowing the company to power down two pump stations which were providing redundancy.
First-time access
Importantly, it was reported that 40,130 persons received access to potable water for the first time owing to the drilling of four wells, and running of many transmission lines. Areas that benefitted from these works include Fields D and E, Sophia, Dazzell Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Lusignan, ECD.
Van West-Charles also shared that the GWI’s engineers have been trained in the use of geo-physical logging equipment and technology, which now allows for greater efficiency and drilling, particularly in the hinterland regions.
GWI has also procured two state-of-the-art drill rigs, 4 backhoes, trucks, two water tankers, two pickup trucks, and several other bits of equipment, all of which are expected to improve the company’s drilling operations.
