As it continues efforts to improve access to potable water in the hinterland, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) has facilitated the drilling of a new well at Karasabai, Region Nine to improve water supply in the village.
Senior GWI officials, including Managing Director Dr Richard Van West-Charles visited the community on Friday to assess the progress of works to date, the utility said in a statement yesterday. GWI had previously carried out a resistivity logging exercise in the community. The GWI team met with Karasabai Toshao Shawn Kartright, Deputy Toshao Andrew Albert, District Development Officer Marlon Adams and Headmistress (ag) of Karasabai Primary/ Secondary School Michelle George.
The statement said that the community relied on a water supply system that was constructed through the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and an existing system. However, this proved unreliable as the system that was constructed through BNTF was flawed in its design and could not satisfy the needs of the community, GWI asserted.
The statement said that this observation was made by GWI in many other Region Nine villages following assessments of their water supply systems.
In this regard, Ramchand Jailal, the Executive Director of Hinterland Services, reinforced the call for all funding and execution agencies to ensure they consult with GWI prior to the commencement of projects that seek to provide potable water services to citizens.
The newly-drilled well in Karasabai will be connected to the storage tanks on the existing trestle. Van West-Charles noted too that the pipelines on the trestle will be changed and larger tanks will be placed on the structure, the statement said.
It added that GWI will also install another larger pump to ensure water is adequately supplied to the community.
Additionally, developmental works were carried out on two wells near the airstrip in the village. The wells can provide approximately 100 cubic meters of water per day to serve the community, which includes primary, secondary and nursery schools, the Health Centre and households, the statement said.
It added that visits to the schools also revealed that there are plumbing issues at the sanitary blocks, no sinks and a lack of water access at these facilities. GWI will work with the Regional Democratic Council and Ministry of Education to correct these issues, it said.
The GWI team also visited the Kezee Eco Lodge in Karasabai, where access to water is sometimes a challenge. However, with the Weyee Creek nearby, GWI will be looking at treating the water and using it as a source of water supply for the Lodge. Weyee means ‘never runs dry’, the statement said.
Meanwhile, over in Sand Creek, approximately 1020 residents are benefiting from a new well and other infrastructure.
GWI officials revisited Sand Creek, Region 9 on April 4 to assess the progress of works, which are ongoing to improve potable water access to the community. The newly-drilled well in the area has significantly improved access to the nursery, primary and secondary schools, dormitory, the Health Centre and households, which amount to approximately 1020 persons, the statement said.
A photovoltaic system, equipped with 18 solar panels, was installed to power the new water supply system. Water will now be supplied from this system to fill the community’s tanks, it added.
