GWI to undertake $588M worth of projects in 3 regions

– wells to be drilled in Sophia, Timehri, Port Mourant & Fellowship

The Housing and Water Ministry is embarking on a number of sweeping projects aimed at delivering quality water to residents in various parts of the country, which when added up will amount to over $500 million that was allocated in the last budget.
Under the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), $588 million worth of projects will be executed in Timehri, Mon Repos, Vlissengen Road and Sophia (Region Four), Port Mourant (Region Six) and Fellowship (Region Three).
Tenders have gone out for a $125 million potable well that will be drilled at Mon Repos, East Coast of Demerara (ECD), while $125 million will also be spent on a potable well in Sophia, Georgetown.

The Guyana Water Incorporated

A sum of $49 million had been budgeted for phase 1 of works on transmission mains along Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) while $125 million had been budgeted to drill a potable water well at Fellowship, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
At Port Mourant, Berbice, a sum of $125 million is expected to be spent on drilling a potable well, while the GWI also has plans to construct a $39 million laboratory at Shelterbelt Compound on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown. Bidders will have until November 14 to submit their bids to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
With Guyana experiencing El Nino climatic conditions expected to last until January 2024, there has been a massive rollout of infrastructural projects expected to increase and improve the provision of water services.
GWI has been working closely with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and other agencies in monitoring the situation.
Visits have been made to all the regions, and from observations, the hinterland regions have been most affected due to depletion in the supply of surface water — water from creeks and springs.
The utility company will be drilling wells in all hinterland communities — 40 are being drilled this year — and between 50 to 60 will be drilled next year. This massive programme will enable the Government to achieve the target of providing 100 per cent access to stable water supply in the hinterland regions by 2025.
On the coastal belt, the demand for water by households and farming communities has also been high but the wells in this part of the country have been producing water at maximum. In Regions Two, Three and Four, the water supply has been stable with some areas experiencing a lower level of service. Notably, residents whose water is supplied by the Lama Canal, which supplies water to about 60 to 80 per cent of Georgetown, have not experienced a drop but in Regions Five and Six, residents are experiencing a small drop in level of service.
In October, GWI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaik Baksh had said that to address this situation, GWI is supplying water on a 24-hour basis and at maximum level in these regions. GWI is also undertaking an intensive well maintenance programme to keep supply stable in the long term.
Aside from El Nino, power outages have been affecting water supply in all the regions on the coastal belt as well as contractors damaging water infrastructure across the country. GWI has been urging residents to report these contractors so that they can be held accountable for their actions.