Relief for EBD residents soon as GWI rushes to fix issues at Diamond well

Two weeks after the casing of a well collapsed at Sixth Avenue Diamond, East Bank Demerara, the Guyana Water Incorporated on Friday commenced restorative works and said the facility should be back in operation in another two weeks.

Hundreds of residents in the Diamond/Grove area, stretching as far as Prospect and Herstelling, have been complaining of low water pressure for the past two weeks.

GWI was only relying on a second well in the area, situated close to the Diamond Treatment Plant, to serve residents in the affected area.

On Friday, Chief Executive Officer of GWI, Shaik Baksh visited the area with the company’s well drilling team and said he was hopeful that there will be no recurrence in the future.

A similar collapse occurred in 2016.

“We have been working over the last few days to prepare this site…We quickly mobilised to get the pipelines and other fittings to get this well back into operation,” Baksh said.

“In the meantime, residents in Diamond and surrounding areas up to Prospect and Herstelling are affected with lower levels of service. We are asking that they bear with us until we can bring this well back into operation,” he added.

According to the GWI CEO, the well at Sixth Avenue is a “good producing well.”

He expects that within two weeks the casing will be replaced and this time, he said, it is being done with the highest grade of materials.

“The level of service remained fairly satisfactory in some areas,” he said, noting that a cost for the repairs will be known later as the works are being expected by in-house staff.