Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing water service by 2025, in the attempt to afford improved access to treated water on a 24-hour basis.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) press release, Croal explained that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI)’s 2021 to 2025 five-year strategic plan had the overall aim of delivering 90 percent treated water by 2025. “On the coastland [from Charity all the way to Moleson Creek] we must have 100 percent access of water to households, and similarly in the hinterland. That is our objective, that is our target that we are trying to achieve and we have about two more years to ensure that we achieve that,” Croal said.
The release said Croal made this disclosure last week during an inspection of water treatment plants at Eccles, Covent Garden, Diamond, Grove, and Caledonia on the East Bank Demerara. The Covent Garden water treatment facility, already functional, is undergoing massive upgrades including the drilling of a new well and the development of two new water treatment tanks to boost accessibility and improve capacity. Upon completion, the plant will be interlinked with the Diamond water treatment facility, the release said.
It added that the new Sixth Street, Diamond water treatment system was expected to be active by last Friday and connected it to the main distribution line in Diamond. Similarly, at the Golden Grove Water Treatment Plant, a new well is being drilled to double the water output. Upon completion, residents already receiving water from that facility will benefit from its upgraded 24-hour service. The DPI said this well will also be connected to the Diamond Water Treatment Plant. Additionally, major development is ongoing at the Caledonia Water Treatment Plant, including the resuscitation of the old storage tank, the construction of a new storage plant and three filter systems, and the drilling of a new well next year.
When those are completed, the DPI said, communities between Soesdyke to Garden of Eden will receive treated water on a 24-hour basis. The project is part of the ministry’s massive programme that aims to construct seven new treatment plants for 2025. Meanwhile, in Region Four, the ministry is building three plants at Caledonia, Cummings Lodge, and Bachelor’s Adventure. Additionally, the DPI said, five new treatment plants are currently out to tender, as part of the ministry’s second phase of work. The tender is expected to close in January 2024.
