Two Diamond E.B.D. wells to cost $280M

Jun 21, 2016 News

… $200M to repair 16

Sixteen wells that were commissioned and drilled within the last five years under the previous

GWI Chief Executive Dr. Richard Van-West Charles

Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) administration headed by Sheik Baksh were found to be encased with carbon steel sleeves. As a result of the low PH of the water, the sleeves started corroding.
Baksh’s successor at GWI, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, said, “apparently the decision was made some time ago in the previous administration to use carbon steel casings. It seems as if it is inferior and probably not enough due diligence was done on the engineering side. There probably were other imperatives that we’re not clear about but what we do know is that these casings are corroding, so we have to re-sleeve all of those wells before we have a major disaster on our hands. That is our priority.”
Among those 16 wells, he noted that Tuschen, Vergenoegen and Hope wells were included. The well at Hope is one of the three wells that popular businessman Brian Tiwarie was contracted to drill, Chief Executive Van-West Charles noted that the deterioration of the well casing was no fault of Tiwarie’s, as he was instructed by the former GWI administration to use the carbon steel casing. He stated that the Hope well is functioning and repairs will be made shortly.
Dr. Van-West Charles indicated that the cost for repairs to the 15 wells is some $200 million. He further emphasized that the main causes for the faulty wells were wrong engineering decisions, poor direction from the administration and the use of inferior materials.
Recently Diamond residents have been suffering for a consistent supply of water because of the problematic Well that serves them, this Van-West Charles at a recent press conference vowed, will be rectified with two new wells slated to be put down at Diamond.
The cost of the new wells, he said, is $140 million each; the reason for these two new wells he highlighted is so that the residents of Diamond, 5000 in number roughly, can be better served.