Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali outlined development plans for providing potable water to St Cuthbert’s Mission during a recent outreach exercise in the area.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release the minister along with several officials from his ministry and from the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) visited the community to outline plans for boosting water supply in the Region Four community.
Residents raised several issues related to the prolonged dry season which is affecting the community’s potable water supply. In response the minister gave assurances that additional investments will have to be made to address the water issues. He said within two weeks a technical team from GWI will visit the area to examine the network and address the issue of installing control valves. GWI will then determine the technical interventions that are needed to further enhance the network, he said.
Ali also committed to setting aside about $15M in the 2010 budget to develop the water supply system for the community. This budgetary allocation will be used to install an electrical pumping system and a new well. The minister said too despite the fact that GWI produces water to satisfy communities, it is continually challenged by factors including leaks within networks and wastage of water by customers. “Regardless of what interventions we make in this community if we do not exercise the responsibility and care in the way we utilise the water then we are going to consistently and constantly have problems,” Ali said.
He also said GWI has earmarked approximately $400M for further developments in the hinterland over the next few years.
This will see the installation of about 150 photovoltaic pumping units throughout the hinterland at an approximate cost of $130M, the construction of over 120 overhead storage facilities/trestles at an estimated cost of $250M and the construction and development of over 20 deep wells that will cost about $16M.
Also, a treatment facility (community sand filter) will be installed at Port Kaituma, Region One at an estimated cost of $8M while the completion and upgrade of pumping systems in Ituni, Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Mahdia, Lethem and Matthews Ridge at an approximate cost of $30M will be included. Over 1000 bio-sand filters will be distributed throughout the hinterland region.
Current investments
Ali said GWI is currently spending about $620,000 to upgrade the water storage facility at the well site. “The government has been investing equitably in all sectors and has been aggressively expanding various services to improve the livelihood and living conditions of all residents,” he said. The minister also noted that despite the essential services being provided for residents there is still need to ensure that services such as water are developed and enhanced to ensure that they meet the new requirements and demands.
According to the minister the water sector will be moving towards an integrated water resource management system that will be looking at commodity water on a multi-sectoral basis as it relates to the management of water required for farming, manufacturing, industry and domestic purposes. “Part of our strategic plan for GWI will have to capture this, (Integrated water resource management system) this is a very important issue as we move forward. This will not only be for the hinterland but for the entire coast…we have to start looking at an integrated manner and an integrated way in which we manage the water resource,” he said.
GINA said the outreach exercise was held to follow-up on several issues raised by toshaos at the National Toshaos Conference held in July.
