More than 20, 000 East Bank Essequibo residents are expected to benefit from improved water supply after the Ministry of Housing commissioned an $85M well at Tuschen that is expected to pump up to 120 cubic metres of water per hour. Guyana Water Incorporated Director – Capital Investment and Planning, Ramchand Jailall said the well incorporates the most recent technology that will allow it to pump the equivalent of 160 black tanks of water per hour. The well was built to serve at least 30 years and will primarily benefit the Tuschen phases one and two housing schemes.
Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali told residents that the facility is part of a wider investment in Region Three by government for the year. According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, Ali pointed out that in the last five years more than $1.2B has been spent in the water sector in the Essequibo Islands/West Demerara region including the construction of a new Water Treatment Plant at Vergenoegen, upgrade to transmission lines from Hubu to Parika and new wells at Parfaite Harmonie and Tuschen. Ali also noted that GWI is working to boost the quality of water and has moved from treated water coverage of 25% to 45% nationwide in the last five years. Regional Chairman Julius Faerber called the facility “a dream come true” for Tuschen residents. He recalled the days where there was no potable water but noted that “today we are fortunate that in almost every community, we can have a well being placed for potable water.”
The well, built by Nabi Construction and supervised by CEMCO, was jointly funded by the Government of Guyana/Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), the Caribbean Development Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency. Acting Project Manager, BNTF, Michael Singh said he was delighted that the project has come to fruition. He also said the BNTF will be involved in similar projects with the GWI and is always happy to be part of the development process in Guyana.
