Still in the design phase, the feasibility study to convert water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) for domestic use is expected to commence by June, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal has said.
At the commissioning of the new Lusignan Well last week, Croal said as the ministry looks to sustain the water supply to citizens, it is exploring avenues outside of drilling.
He stated that the East Coast corridor has been expanding and will continue to grow via the establishment of new housing developments, resulting in a higher demand for water.
Croal added that once they are able to tap into utilising the conservancy water for domestic purposes, they will be able to provide reliable supply of water to citizens on the East Coast.
Further, he indicated that the study will also pave the way for a similar roll out in Region Six.
In a bid to execute the study in a timely manner, Croal said they have improved the technical capacity at Guyana Water Inc and have established a projects department to spearhead the initiative.
When the design for the study is completed, GWI will be inviting bids to conduct the study.
President Irfaan Ali during his address at the commissioning of the well stated that daily tens of thousands of gallons of water is discharged into the Atlantic from the Hope Canal. That amount of water, he posited, can be used to meet the growing demands for reliable water supply.
The Head of State noted that by 2025 more than half the world’s population will be living in water-stressed circumstances.
“As we meet today, 785 million people lack basic drinking water service globally, 144 million people depend on surface water to carry out their daily lives. Two billion people globally use water that is contaminated in some way or form. This contamination has led, and continues to lead to many different types of diseases…This is the context in which we must position this accomplishment…,” he said.
Charles Sohan in a letter penned to the editor last September had stated that the Ministry has to determine whether the EDWC could meet the proposed additional demand of water throughout the year for East Coast residents.
He stated that while the EDWC can provide water for Georgetown and its suburbs after it is treated, there were periods when the EDWC could not meet these needs due to droughts and serious rationing of water occurred.
Sohan stated that the water to be extracted from the Hope Canal for use by the East Coast residents will require a conveyance and distribution system with a treatment plant. Further, if it is determined that sufficient water is not available in the EDWC throughout the year to meet all the current and proposed needs, then additional sources of water will have to be found. He went on to state that, these could probably come from artesian wells and/or pumping from the Mahaica and Demerara Rivers to supplement stored rainfall in the EDWC.
Further, he posited that a project of such magnitude is likely to be a comprehensive and costly project but a worthwhile one which could be funded from the windfall oil and gas revenues the country is fortunate to receive.
