The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on Friday signed contracts worth approximately $250 million to begin infrastructure works for 15 small water-treatment plants in regions Four, Five and Six, as part of an overall $1.3 billion investment programme to deliver treated water access to over 63,000 residents in small coastal communities, a GWI release stated yesterday.
Attendees at the signing ceremony which took place at GWI’s offices on Vlissengen Road in Georgetown, included Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, GWI Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh, several GWI managers, along with the ten contractors who will execute the ancillary works.
The release explained that these facilities will complement the seven large water-treatment plants being built by GWI under Guyana’s Coastal Water Treatment Program-me to improve water quality. This “massive” programme, it noted, represents an investment of about $40 billion by the Government of Guyana to achieve 90 per cent treated water coverage by 2025. In addition, six of the large plants are scheduled for completion by the end of this year, while the seventh plant along with all the smaller ones are expected to be finished by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Croal who addressed the contractors, urged them to deliver on time especially considering the needs of GWI’s customers.
Meanwhile, Baksh highlighted the challenging task faced by the utility to immediately address all the complaints about water quality and level of service. However, he posited that the ongoing works will bring about significant improvements.
“Already we have piloted a small water treatment plant at Sparendaam, which has been performing excellent because there has been praises from the communities at Sparendaam, Plaisance, South Better Hope and Goedverwagting in the performance of this plant and the treated water being received.”
According to the release, the contracts signed on Friday will enable similar facilities in areas such as Agricola, La Bonne Intention, and Lusignan in Region Four; Perseverance, Farm. Calcutta, Weldaad, Strath Campbell, and Ithaca well stations in Region Five; Edinburgh, Chesney, Mibicuri, Johanna, Number 69 Village, and Crabwood Creek in Region Six. Twelve of the water filters units for these plants are currently being manufactured overseas and a local contractor is fabricating three of the plants in Guyana.
