-GWI to enter bottling business

A new $70M well station at De Hoop, Mahaica that is expected to  benefit over 2000 residents from the area, along with surrounding communities, was commissioned on Friday by Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali.

The new station currently produces 192 cubic meters of water per hour and now serves residents from Frederica Johanna to Handsome Tree, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is currently undertaking supplementary works to provide service to additional communities within the immediate area of the new well station.

Tests were done by the Scientific Services Department of GWI and it was  confirmed that the water distributed by the new station meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, GINA said.

The well station was jointly funded by the Guyana Government and the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and the facility includes a pump house, discharge pipe and perimeter fence.

Minister Ali noted that the residents of De Hoop were constantly involved in the project, ensuring that their voices were heard on what should be done, and he congratulated them for their enthusiasm and patience.

As a result of the constant monitoring by residents, high quality work was delivered, GINA said. Ali also commended the staff of GWI for  their commitment to completing the project on time.

He said further that the major component of delivering water to residents is the energy that has to be used, which is subsidized by government.  And the long-term goal is to improve quality while ensuring that the product remains affordable to all.

He noted that lots of companies have been producing bottled water that is sold in the markets at high prices, and profits are being made.

However, it is the ministry’s responsibility to ensure that this product is not overpriced at the market, so GWI will soon be introducing its own branded bottled water on the market, Ali disclosed.

This will ensure that persons receive good quality bottled water at an affordable price and will generate revenue to accelerate capital investments, GINA reported.

Region Five has over the years benefited from government’s investment in the water sector, as over $600M was spent to improve water supply in various areas of the region, GINA added.