The village of White Water located in the Mabaruma sub-district of Region One, is set to receive a boost in residents’ accessibility with the construction of an additional kilometre of road in the community.
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), this announcement was made by President Irfaan Ali, and this new development follows the construction of a 1.2 kilometre concrete road, fulfilling a commitment made by the president during a community meeting in May.
This was in response to complaints that residents encounter significant challenges during the rainy season when the existing roadway becomes muddy, posing risks to the community.
The release pointed out that the project is being executed by the village council and is expected to be completed within two months, with technical support and resources provided by the Ministry of Public Works’ Special Project Unit (SPU).
During an inspection of the road project on Monday, President Ali emphasised that the local economy would benefit from approximately 60 skilled concrete road builders upon its completion. Currently, 50 community members have been employed to work on the project.
“This is a real example of building community capacity and investing in communities not only for infrastructure but for people. All of these people now will complete this project with a very good skill that [will be] in high demand for a number of years to come.”
Upon completion, President Ali noted that travel time from White Water to Mabaruma will be significantly reduced from two hours to 30 minutes. Further, with improved accessibility, the community will be better positioned to expand the productive capacity of agricultural produce, such as ginger and pineapple.
Meanwhile, SPU Head Engineer, Collin Gittens, stated that the ministry provided training to residents and supplied the essential equipment and materials required for road construction. He noted that despite some setbacks, the project’s second phase will progress swiftly, as the residents possess the necessary skills.
“Based on my judgment and inspection, the project matches and even surpasses some of the works that we see in the capital. I must applaud people here for that.”
Toshao of White Water Village, Andrew Cox, expressed his community’s gratitude for the ongoing developments aimed at transforming his community, adding that the road project will bring significant relief to many residents.
“We also had five other sawmen who benefitted from cutting the form boards for this construction. The five saw men benefitted from over $1 million. I am so proud of that,” Cox said.
And Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, acknowledged that skilled labour remains a challenge, and expressed satisfaction with the hiring of community members for various projects that will be replicated across the region. He also announced that construction of a concrete road from Mabaruma to Wauna is ongoing and is approximately 50 per cent completed.
A similar project is underway in Waramuri, where residents from Waramuri and White Water will be employed, the DPI added.
