President Mohamed Irfaan Ali Commissioning the new well at Lusignan on Tuesday.
Mohammed Irfaan Ali participating in the commissioning of the Lusignan well in 2010
March 17 ,2020
Kaieteur News – The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration on Tuesday commissioned its second well in 12 years at the same location, Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD)
Commissioning a new $152M well station at Lusignan was President Mohamed Irfaan Ali. However, this was not the first time that Ali assisted in commissioning a well there. The first well was commissioned in February 2010 when Ali was Minister of Housing and water and it had cost the then PPP/C government some $63M built. Eleven years later in 2021 that well collapsed.At Tuesday’s commissioning ceremony of the new well, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Shaik Baksh, said that the collapsed well could not be repaired and a new one had to be built.He blamed the previous coalition government-that had took power from the PPP/C in 2015- for this and told the audience that it had run down GWI’s inventory of spares and could not maintain the old well for five years.In moving forward, the CEO related that his government decided to build a new well at Lusignan and has also spent money in restocking the inventory not only to maintain the new well but some five other aged wells across the coast.
The new well, according to Baksh, “is a good production well that was completed within three months”. Baksh said that the well can produce over 210 cubic meters of water per hour when compared to other wells.“It (the well) has surpassed some of the wells on the east of demerara and will more than supply some of the needs of its borders”, Baksh said.He noted too that the pressure (PSI) in the pipelines is of high standard. His exact words were, “Pressure raises from 10 to fifteen feet of water in all the various points in Lusignan very good”
In terms of the quality, the CEO explained that except for one it has met all the parameters of the World Bank. Those qualities that met the World Bank’s Parameters were listed in the water’s PH turbidity, and absence of bacteria such as coliform and E. coli.
Baksh related, however, the iron content found in the water is still above World Health standard and hopefully this can be addressed in the not too distant future.
Also speaking at the ceremony was current Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal, who boasted that the new and improved well has a life span of 30 years and is capable of servicing more than 20,000 households.
Croal asked the residents to take good care of the well and to immediately report leaks if they occur.