$8.5B contracts inked for 7 water treatment plants

– project will boost Guyana’s treated water coverage

Guyana Water Inc (GWI) on Thursday signed three contracts to the tune of $8.5 billion for the construction of seven water treatment plants, taking treated water coverage closer to the 90 per cent target.

The signing was facilitated by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal in the company of other officials and stakeholders. This investment falls under an overall investment of $30 billion to enhance treated water.
Three companies – Sigma Engineering Limited from Bangladesh, Toshiba Water Solution PVT Limited from India, and Hi-Pro Ecologicos from Mexico – were awarded the contracts to construct the plants.
GWI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaik Baksh stated that this development was in keeping with the agenda of having 90 per cent treated water by 2025.
He said these projects take about two to three years and it was expected that they would be completed within the time frame. He added that it was important to support new housing areas and there was a “crying need” for treated water given the current 52 per cent coverage.
“Across the coastal belt, there is a crying need for treated water. At the present time, we have 52 per cent coverage and we intend over the next two years, this project will be completed. This is a massive investment. Government is putting in the capital investment, which is over $30 billion,” the CEO said.
This is part of the plan to establish 13 plants with an additional 10 smaller plants and upgrades to 12 existing plants.  Together, 181,000 persons will benefit from these projects.
“You can see the magnitude of this investment and the magnitude of a project to bring quality water, safe water to the population. It is a part of the Government’s programme. It is a part of the mission of Guyana Water Incorporated,” Baksh noted.
Housing and Water Minister Croal positioned that GWI was responding to the needs of the citizenry. Moreover, it is listening to complaints and making moves to ease the issues faced by consumers. According to him, these advancements are part of the Government’s macro plan that was formulated when the Ali Administration took office in 2020.
Most importantly, planning for GWI must match that of the housing sector, which means satisfying new consumers while supplying new areas. In this Government’s tenure so far, over 17,000 house lots have been distributed – part of the 50,000 lots in five years manifesto promise.
“GWI’s response has to also match the Government’s housing programme. While we are feeling good in satisfying the needs of existing customers, our planning also has to take into consideration, future developments. Believe me, much more housing schemes are coming on stream,” Minister Croal added.
“Likewise, our overhead costs have been increasing, but we are committed to ensuring that our citizens have a better quality of life.”
The water treatment plants are to be constructed in Onderneeming in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Parika, Wales and Lust-en-Rust in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Caledonia, Cummings Lodge and Bachelor’s Adventure in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
“We are now able to, as more resources become available, to invest at a faster rate in this water sector so that even by 2025, we can achieve our targets that have been set,” the Minister explained.
The Government has set clear objectives to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Six: water and sanitation for all by 2030. These include increasing potable water coverage to 100 per cent by 2025 and increasing treated water coverage. In Guyana, groundwater from the coastal aquifer system provides about 90 per cent of the domestic water for the country.