The Rupununi Village of Wowetta is now benefiting from 24-hour water supply due to a new system pegged at $27M which is expected to provide some 400 residents with private service connections.
This is according to a press release yesterday from the Guyana Water Incorpo-rated (GWI) which said that it has drilled a new well which was complemented by a distribution network, an elevated storage unit, and new photovoltaic system.
Meanwhile, a $30M project to also provide all-day water supply is currently underway at Aranaputa where GWI said it has drilled a well to supply the approximately 600 residents there with access to potable water.
According to the release, that well is in its completion phase and consists of a system similar to the one at Wowetta— with a distribution network, elevated storage and an upgraded Photovoltaic system.
Both projects are being executed by the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) with the latter expected to be completed within the next three weeks at the conclusion of which the water access coverage is expected to be increased from 20% to 100%.
According to the release, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal on Sunday visited Wowetta, Aranaputa and Annai in the North Rupununi Sub-district of Region 9 and assured that another 200 meters of pipeline will be installed at Wowetta to raise water access from 95% to 100%.
“He expressed confidence that the system will serve the community well, while adding that they are looking to replicate the infrastructure in other communities,” the release said.
GWI said that at Annai, it recently activated a new well which is providing potable water to a section of the community, including the hospital and that it will be drilling another well in the community before the end of the year, which will benefit some 500 residents.
Croal is reported as saying that when the well is drilled, GWI will be interlinking the system and that a request will be made in the 2021 budget to facilitate further works to the distribution network.
According to the release, the Minister said that further funds will be sought for the construction of a new trestle in the community since the current one is in disrepair and has structural issues, while noting that by the end of the first quarter of next year, the entire village of Annai will be interconnected and receiving a constant supply of water.
Councillor of Wowetta, Ornold Norman was reported as saying that he is pleased that the residents now have 24-hour access to water and that the intervention is timely given the COVID-19 pandemic.
