Following a report in Stabroek News on Tuesday about a shortage of water in flood-hit Upper Pomeroon, the Guyana Water Incorporated yesterday supplied treated water to three communities.
A statement from GWI follows:
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) in collaboration with the Region 2 Democratic Council on Wednesday, 16th June, 2021 provided treated water to three (3) upper Pomeroon communities which are severely affected by the prevailing floods.
The company’s Region 2 Manager, Brionne Gangaram and several staff members along with RDC Superintendent of works, Sarwan Kumar made the intervention in the communities of Kabakaburi, St. Monica and Satellite village-Karawab.
In the community of Kabakaburi, which has approximately 150 households, an existing 450 gallon water tank was filled with the treated water sourced from the Lima Water Treatment plant while an additional filled tank was provided.
The team then visited the community of St. Monica which has approximately 138 households and were met with eager residents equipped with buckets. Two filled water tanks were provided and residents hurriedly filled their buckets.
In the satellite village of Karawab, which has approximately 160 households, the team stopped at 2 locations. The first was ‘Long House’, where residents displaced due to the floods are being housed. An existing water tank was filled at this location.
At the second location in that village, the Karawab mission, one tank was also filled. Additionally, 3 tanks were provided for residents to utilize for the purpose of rainwater harvesting.
This additional storage will be of significant benefit, since residents from neighbouring communities such as Bat creek and further up Pomeroon River can access water there on a short term basis.
Residents in the three communities were very appreciative of the intervention by the utility company and the regional administration.
Prior to the flooding, residents in both Kabakaburi and St. Monica utilized water from the Pomeroon River. Existing GWI infrastructure facilitated the pumping of the water from the river to a storage tank then it was gravity fed to residents.
Rainwater harvesting is the primary source of water in all of the communities which were visited.
GWI will in the coming days continue to work closely with the RDC to determine steps to provide further relief to those communities as well as others facing difficulties accessing potable water during this period.
On a long term basis, the company will be drilling a number of new wells in the upper and lower Pomeroon in early 2022. A PAT drilling rig for riverain well drilling has been ordered from Thailand and is expected to arrive in Guyana by September/October of this year.
