GWI TO USE LESS ​CHEMICALS TO TREAT WATER IN 2019

There will be fewer chemicals, including Alum, added to the water to supply to hundreds of thousands of GWI customers. The water company says that the reduction chemicals could save the company money. Javone Vickerie reports.

Alums have a number of common chemical properties. Aluminum sulfate or alum is used as flocculants to remove unwanted color and turbidity from water supplies. It has been used since ancient times for this purpose and its use together with filtration is standard practice in conventional water treatment processes around the world The Guyana Water Inc., however, reports that approximately 600 million dollars is expended annually on the importation of Alum into Guyana. The chemical used to treat surface water. According to the Managing Director of the water company Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, says that in 2019, the company will rely less on water treatment chemical usage by installing filters.

The managing director outlined that, GWI had been using chemicals for decades to treat the surface water, which is supplied to residences. Executive Director of Operations at GWI Dwayne Shako explained the new venture of filtering water will first be utilized at GWI’s Shelter Belt in the Linden and Bartica locations. The Operations Director says that monies saved can go towards a project to increase the pressure of water coming through taps.