Close to 100,000 residents can expect major improvements in the quality of water they receive within 24 months as contracts were today signed for seven large treatment plants, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) says.
Three contracts, totalling $8.5B were signed under GWI’s Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme, which is part of a larger plan to provide 90 percent treated water access to the coast by 2025.
Water treatment plants will be constructed at Onderneeming in Region 2; Parika, Wales and Lust en Rust in Region 3; Caledonia, Cummings Lodge and Bachelor’s Adventure in Region 4, GWI said in a release.
At the signing ceremony today, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said that while the plan has always been to expand water access and improve the level of service there was a deficiency in water treatment.
In order to move towards a satisfactory level of water service, the Minister announced that $30B is being invested in treatment alone, for which programmes have already been initiated.
GWI said that the contracts were awarded to three international firms: Hi Pro Ecologicos Mexico, Sigma Engineers Limited from Bangladesh and Toshiba Water Solutions Private Limited from India following a public tender process. Representatives from each company were present to sign their contracts, as well as GWI Head of the new Water Treatment Infrastructure Unit – Aubrey Roberts, GWI Procurement Director Christopher Vandeyar and other Board Directors and Corporate Management members.
Currently, 52 percent of customers across the coast receive treated water from 28 Water treatment plants, GWI said.
Croal also announced that Cabinet has given its no-objection for the upgrade of existing water treatment plants.
GWI CEO Shaik Baksh said that the utility’s management was able to craft the business strategy for the water treatment programme in just a matter of five months.
He challenged the contractors to execute their works expeditiously, even as he expressed optimism that this project will be completed within the stipulated timeline of two years.
The CEO explained that as part of GWI’s strategic plan to provide 90 percent treated water coverage by 2025, 12 other plants are to be upgraded, while 10 smaller plants are slated to be constructed.
