GWI taking an “aggressive approach” to water treatment- CEO

Twenty-five operators and engineers of the Guyana Water Incorporated will benefit from a four-day workshop to be conducted by Dutch experts from the “Water is Our World” company out of Suriname, in the area of water treatment.

GWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Van West- Charles has expressed the need for intensive training in the area of water treatment for engineers attached to the company on the grounds that most of these individuals are employed immediately after they leave the University of Guyana and are not offered any courses in Water engineering or treatment.

Hence the CEO said the onus is now on GWI to ensure that these engineers are properly trained in specific aspects of water treatment, since currently the company only delivers 50 percent of treated water to citizens while the other 50 percent receive untreated water in varying degrees.

Dr. Van West -Charles stressed that the water company is taking an aggressive approach to water quality analysis, which prompted the collaboration with the “Water is Our World” company.

He noted too that GWI is losing money and compromising quality due to the many leaks, however he assured that these have been identified and efforts are being made to correct same.

The GWI boss said when he took over in October last year there was a high level of sedimentation in the tanks since they were not cleaned for many years, noting that the system was not on par.

The CEO said the company has been working across the country to ensure the availability of potable water, especially in remote areas where the residents use the river as a source of drinking water.

The Dutch experts who would be conducting the training are Jacques Van Paassen  and Casper Van Ommen. The workshop is being conducted at the Georgetown Club.