—750 kVA generator to replace West Watooka unit
As protests over unreliable electricity and water supplies in Linden entered a second day yesterday, the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation announced arrangements for a 750 kilovolt-amperes (kVA) generator for the West Watooka Water Treatment Plant and backup power systems for all water treatment plants in the town.
The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation said its Director General, Alfonso De Armas, coordinated the measures following yesterday’s engagement with regional officials and electricity providers.
Acting on instructions from Minister Deodat Indar, De Armas oversaw arrangements for the generator’s deployment to West Watooka to help maintain water treatment operations during blackouts.
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Executive Director of Projects Marlon Daniels and Director of Operations Jawaharlal Ramjug were also involved in coordinating the replacement and technical support.
The ministry said Indar had directed that all water treatment plants across Linden be equipped with backup power systems to reduce interruptions to water production and distribution.
The announcement did not state when the replacement generator would become operational or provide a timetable for equipping the remaining plants.
Yesterday’s engagement included Region Ten Regional Executive Officer Dr Gregory Harris and management and technical personnel from the Linden Electricity Company Inc (LECI), which serves Mackenzie, and the Linden Utility Services Co-operative Society Limited (LUSCSL), which serves Wismar.
The ministry said the water supply measures would be pursued while the electricity providers addressed continuing power problems.
Residents began protesting outside LUSCSL on Monday, complaining that persistent blackouts were disrupting businesses and leaving households without water. The protest continued yesterday.
As previously reported by Kiskadee Watch, some residents said they were spending $8,000 a week to purchase water, while others questioned how children were managing at school without reliable supplies.
“No water, no light, you all guh get it right,” protesters chanted, urging passers-by to join them and calling on officials to come downstairs and address their concerns.
Former Linden mayor and APNU parliamentarian Sharma Solomon, who streamed part of Monday’s demonstration live on Facebook, said residents had endured unstable electricity and water supplies for several months.
“We have too much in this country for people to be suffering for light and water,” he said.
Solomon said small business operators were suffering and that electricity interruptions also stopped the water supply. Residents were exercising their right to demand dependable services, he added.
A vendor held a placard declaring: “Wismar Market, we fed-up.”
Protesters maintained that their concerns were not political, saying residents were affected regardless of which party they supported.
GWI separately advised that a power outage was affecting operations at the Wisroc Water Treatment Plant. Communities affected included Wisroc Park, Block 22, Phase 1B and Phase 2B, One Mile Extension, Blue Berry Hill, Green Valley, Cholmondeley Hill, Wismar Hill Housing Scheme, One Mile, Half Mile and Canvas City.
The utility said its technical team had engaged LECI to address the disruption.
In a notice dated November 2, LUSCSL said its management and LECI had met following extensive outages over the weekend. Both entities, it said, were working together to address longstanding problems.
The society announced an extensive seven-day survey of its distribution system to identify and resolve potential faults, with scheduled outages daily from 1 pm to 4 pm.
The notice did not identify the areas to be affected or specify the faults being investigated. Management apologised and appealed for patience while efforts were made to improve the service.
In a separate notice, LECI attributed an outage affecting the community to a problem at Bosai’s power plant. It said technicians were working to remedy the problem but did not identify the fault or provide a restoration time.
Linden’s electricity difficulties predate the latest demonstrations. Kiskadee Watch reported in August that LECI introduced load-shedding for Mackenzie after demand exceeded available generation. Government officials had reported peak demand of approximately 15.1 megawatts against generation of approximately 14.1 megawatts.
A 1.5-megawatt portable generator was subsequently commissioned at Bosai’s powerhouse, increasing supply to Linden and Wismar from approximately 14 megawatts to 15.5 megawatts. A second unit was expected to raise supply to approximately 17 megawatts.
The reliability of the service remained disputed. Solomon said Linden experienced 10 outages during the government’s September 2–3 Cabinet outreach. LECI rejected that account, saying there had been two community-wide interruptions followed by the restoration of power to different sections at different times.
The company attributed those interruptions to a fault-related incident affecting the Bosai plant and a lightning strike. Solomon maintained that the broader concern was whether Linden’s generation and distribution systems could reliably meet residents’ needs and support further development.
Source: Kiskadee Watch
