New $12M well to benefit over 260 Quarrie, Region 9 residents
For the first time, some 262 residents in the village of Quarrie will have access to clean and safe water, following the commissioning of a $12 million well.
The new well was officially commissioned in the small Amerindian village, located in Central Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal on Sunday morning, a Department of Public Information (DPI) report stated.
The water supply system was recently rehabilitated to achieve 60 per cent coverage there.
Prior to these works, residents heavily relied on a hand-dug well, which suffered severe depletion as a result of the prolonged dry season.
It was then decided that two new wells would be drilled by Guyana Water Inc (GWI), with community participation, to provide reliable service.
The drilling of the second well will be done within the next two months to service 20 more households with first-time access, increasing the overall coverage to 95 per cent.
Two young Quarrie villagers drinking water sourced from the new water system (DPI photo)
The sum of $20 million is being spent on the two new wells and a new distribution system.
Croal highlighted that from 2020 to date, access to potable water has increased from 60 per cent to 94 per cent in Region Nine.
“So now, our emphasis, therefore, is to ensure that every household, those that are spread out, can have access too…That is the type of investment we are making. By the time we are finished with 2024, we will see over 30 completed wells in Region Nine,” Croal was quoted by DPI as saying.
Meanwhile, Senior Councillor of Quarrie, Martin Anthony emphasised that residents would no longer have to worry about water shortage since the well will be a permanent source.
“For a very long time, we were struggling with our water system and now it is here. This is such a great initiative for us here in Quarrie,” the councillor expressed.
A meeting was also held at the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub where various issues were raised by the residents.
Five households that are not within the vicinity of the well will be provided with tanks to store water.
The Minister was joined by Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock; GWI’s Hinterland Services Director, Ramchand Jailall, and other technical staff.
