Infrastructure works contributing to water disruption

…contractors urged to report damage to pipelines

The massive increase of infrastructure projects countrywide is contributing significantly to the disruption of water in many communities across the country.
According to Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, water supply is not the issue, instead water disruption is as a result of damage to pipelines during the execution of infrastructure works.

During a discussion on the Guyana Dialogue programme, Croal disclosed that engineers and technical teams from the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) have been responding to cases of water disruption, many of which are difficult to address.
The Minister explained that the difficulty exists, given that contractors are not informing the agency when damages to pipes occurs.
This practice he highlighted hinders GWI teams from resolving the issue effectively and in a timely manner.
“A lot of time the disruption is because a pipe is broken somewhere and it has not been reported, so x, w, or z contractor machine broke the pipe and then the thing is by us not aware where the breakage is, because we know have to go and look for why we have disruption, so that takes some time,” Croal disclosed.
The Minister is urging contractors to desist from this practice and prioritize reporting damages to pipelines.
On this point, he emphasized the need for constant water supply, noting that the country is experiencing a lot of bush fire and negligence of any kind, will not be tolerated at this time.
“Because of the dryest now… if you’re travelling around you will see that its looking hazy and that’s because they are a lot of fires happening. We are encouraging to do not light any fire,” Croal said.
Expansion programme
Since assuming office in August 2020, the administration has more than 35,000 applicants have gained first-time access to potable and treated water services.
As a result, nearly 100 percent of coastal residents now having access to clean water while access to potable water countrywide currently stands at 97.3 percent for the year 2023.
Minister Rodrigues emphasized that this significant expansion recorded is part of the administration’s national agenda that advocates for the implementation of sustainable water management practices.
In addition, statistics from Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) show that water losses have been reduced from 69 percent in 2020 to 62 percent in 2023, while water meter coverage moved from 53 percent in 2020, to 67 percent at the end of 2023.
According to the data, GWI has successfully installed more than 55,000 meters to accurately measure consumption, aid in the conservation of water resources, and reduce non-revenue water.
Further, the agency responsible for the management of water completed the drilling of over 60 wells. (G1)