6000 residents to benefit as Bartica gets $468M Water Treatment Plant

After years of grappling with poor water quality and constant shortages, residents in sections of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), will now have access to a high-quality and reliable water supply.
On Saturday, the $468 million Five Miles Water Treatment Plant was commissioned in Bartica to serve potable water to some 6000 residents between Four Miles and Seven Miles.
Constructed at Five Miles along the Bartica/Potaro Road, the facility has a capacity to produce two million litres per day and is the first water treatment plant to utilise surface water, sourced from a nearby stream.

However, while this water treatment plant will bring relief to thousands, President Dr Irfaan is already contemplating the challenges in the coming years as the region, especially Bartica, undergoes major infrastructure and economic development.
“Because in one and a half year from now, we’ll have thousands of new homes in a new housing scheme. We will have a new state-of-the-art hospital. We will have a municipal-type airport. We will have new hotels and a marina. All of which would require abundant water supply as a part of their efficiency programme. That is why we cannot sit and wait. We have to plan continuously ahead of time,” the Head of State noted during his address at the commissioning ceremony.
Nevertheless, he noted that the newly commissioned water treatment plant will serve as a critical investment to meet Bartica’s rapid growth and future water demand.
“In every aspect of development, we try, as far as possible, to ensure at least the medium-term demand is satisfied with that investment,” the President said.
The Guyanese leader further emphasised that all new water treatment facilities are being built to accommodate a seamless expansion in the future as demand grows.
“All the new plants are built in a modular way. That is, we can add capacity very easily without dismantling the existing infrastructure… Clean water is not a luxury. It is life. It is health in every glass. It is dignity in every household… Not with promises, but with pipes in the ground and water in the taps,” he stressed.
According to the Head of State, Region Seven has benefited from billions of dollars in investments between 2020 and 2025, including housing infrastructure, road rehabilitation, renewable energy projects and the construction of a new $7.5 billion regional hospital in Bartica.

The $468 million Five Miles Water Treatment Plant forms part of the Government’s $40 billion Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme (CWTIP), which aims to increase treated water coverage to 90 per cent by 2026. The programme is being implemented by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
The first phase of the CWTIP is completed with the construction of seven new large water treatment plants and 15 small water treatment plants, along with the upgrade of 12 existing plants and the installation of 200 kilometres of transmission mains to improve water quality, continuity of service, and level of service across Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven.

7 new water treatment plants
Meanwhile, the second phase of the CWTIP has already begun, with the construction of another seven new water treatment plants across the country. These include new water treatment plants at Maria’s Delight in Region Two; Wakenaam and Leguan in Region Three; Hope in Region Four; Bath in Region Five; Adventure in Region Six; and Bartica, with the now completed Five Miles Water Treatment Plant.
In addition to the $468 million spent on the construction of the plant, which was done by Toshiba Water Solutions Inc, supporting infrastructure such as the water catchment system, pumping station and transmission pipeline was completed at a cost of $68 million. A further $71 million will also be spent to reinforce the concrete access road to the catchment and pumping station to strengthen operational access.
According to Public Utilities Minister Deodat Indar, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has spent some $1.7 billion since 2020 to enhance water quality and delivery to residents across the Cuyunu-Mazaruni region.

“Never before there was this level of investment into this region… We moved on to make sure that over 16,000 people have access to water in this region, and with the coming to completion and the delivery of this plant to produce surface water to Four Miles straight up to Seven Miles was another huge investment of $607 million dollars so that 6000 additional residents that resides in this community can have access to treated water… That is a testament that nobody in this country, regardless of where you live, is forgotten… Wherever you are in Region Seven, we make sure that we bring services to you,” the Utilities Minister stated.

Dedicated technical research
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the GWI, Shaik Baksh, said that the Five Miles Water Treatment Plant at Bartica is the result of over two years of dedicated technical research and investment to overcome geological challenges.
He told attendees at Saturday’s commissioning ceremony that the facility utilises automated surface water treatment technology, ensuring 24-hour service and international standards for residents in Four Miles, Five Miles, and Seven Miles.
“This water is safe for drinking,” Baksh assured residents. “And this is what the government is about: transforming lives, livelihoods, ensuring a healthy population [with] safe water…. Having delivered this facility, we now have to care for this facility, operate it efficiently.”
In fact, GWI has trained technical operators to manage and maintain the new water treatment plant in Bartica.