“It is non-negotiable” – Pres Ali on reliable water service at Coomacka Mines

…as 2-day Cabinet Outreach to Region 10 kicks off

Residents at Coomacka Mines in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) will soon be benefitting from improved water services as the Guyana Government moves to undertake a massive investment in the community.
This was revealed by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday morning during the first stop of his two day Cabinet Outreach to Region 10.
Addressing residents at Coomacka Mines along the Demerara River, he acknowledged the water woes the community has been facing. In the past, at least seven water boreholes were assessed, but all came out dry, while an eighth one produced water of bad quality.
Recently, however, there was “great success” at Old England, and according to President Ali, while this will be an expensive undertaking to build out the necessary infrastructure there, it will be done.
“It will now cost a lot more money, because we’ll have to build one and a half kilometres of transmission to get [the water] back here from there. I said to GWI, ‘It is non-negotiable. Let us go there, get the well done, and build a transmission and bring it into here,’” the Head of State noted.
Among the other interventions made by President Ali at Wednesday’s engagement was the delivery of a school bus – a commitment he had made previously after hearing about the challenges faced by students in Coomacka when travelling to school.
Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill, who handed over the school bus to the Region’s Department of Education on Wednesday, said the bus will provide safe, reliable and accessible transportation for the children in Coomacka, helping to make their journey to and from school safer and more convenient.

Infrastructure
Moreover, President Ali also noted that plans are also in place for the continued expansion and improvement of the road network in the community, with two kilometres (km) of new paved asphaltic road all the way to New England to be completed before the end of this year. This will complement the three km of road already constructed in the area.
In fact, Edghill, who had joined the Head of State for the meeting at Coomacka, pointed out that more than $100 billion has been expended in recent years on infrastructure development across the Upper Demerara-Berbice region.
“Linden and Region 10 are two of the regions that is benefitting more per capita based upon the amount of persons that are living in this area. Some very major and transformative things are happening. By the end of September, the new four-lane [Wismar/Mackenzie] bridge will be ready. We are 80 per cent complete with the Linden-Mabura road… The Soesdyke-Linden Highway – we’re now getting the section from Splashmin’s all the way down to the East Bank Road done. The Roundabout is to start soon. And more importantly, the infrastructure for lights on the highway…will come on,” the Public Works Minister stated.

Housing
Meanwhile, in the area of housing, President Ali assured that everyone with an application in the system will get their house lot, as the Government moves to fulfil the region’s housing needs. In fact, the Housing Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is working towards clearing the backlog of house lot applications in Region 10 by the end of 2027.
According to Housing Minister Collin Croal during Wednesday’s Coomacka meeting, there are over 3000 pending applications from Region 10 in the system. He said the next phase of allocations in the region is expected to commence in the coming months, with priority being given to applicants who have acknowledgement letters dated 2025 and prior.
Minister Croal also provided an update on the regularisation process of an area in the Coomacka community, revealing that some 154 lots have been identified and an occupancy survey has already been completed.
“We have recognised 154 lots, and we have done the occupancy survey. We now have to redo the plan,” the Minister explained.
He noted that verification and resurveying are expected to be completed by the end of September. Thereafter, the Ministry will commence the necessary legal process to have the plan formally recognised, paving the way for the transfer of the lands and ultimately providing residents with greater security of tenure.

Opportunities
Nevertheless, President Ali went onto outline a number of other developmental plans for the community, including in the area of agriculture with the construction of a cold storage facility as well as support for swine and poultry production.
In fact, the Head of State pointed out that with the Guyana Development Bank set to come into operation soon, they have already started discussions with several groups of young people in the region about accessing zero-interest no-collateral financing to invest in transportation services, tourism and agribusinesses.

“We want Linden to be a hub. We’re going to work through the Development Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture to have one of the major tunnel host programmes in Linden, where you are supplying your own poultry, where you are supplying the hinterland. We want one of the largest swine productions here in Region 10. We want to launch a massive swine production farm area, through the Development Bank, bringing groups together for cold storage, construction and other services,” Ali asserted.
According to the President, it is critical that residents from the region be active participants in and benefit from the development and transformation taking place across the Upper Demerara-Berbice region.
Highlighting that billions have already been spent across Region 10 over the last five years, President Ali reiterated the PPP/C Government’s commitment to ensuring the prosperity of the region that is traditionally known to be an Opposition stronghold.