New water treatment plant for Corentyne – Minister Rodrigues

− tells Berbicians housing programme will be expanded

A third water treatment plant is expected to be established on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), which will see all residents along the Corentyne Coast having access to treated water.

This announcement was made by Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, on Friday during a one-day outreach to the Region.
The Minister explained that, with the new treatment plant, the entire water distribution system along the Corentyne would be interconnected.
Currently, water treatment plants are at Rose Hall Town and Corriverton on the Corentyne, but some residents have been complaining bitterly about the poor quality of water they receive through their taps.
However, Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) Regional Manager Randolph Leitch, during one of the meetings, informed the Minister that they have been receiving non-stop interruption of power supply from Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
On this note, Rodrigues, stated that the issue is being addressed at the ministerial level. During her one-day outreach, Rodrigues visited Fort Ordnance, Chesney, Babu Jaan and Ankerville in Port Mourant.

The visit to the various communities, she noted, was to get first-hand information about issues affecting residents ahead of the preparation of the 2022 budget.

Expanding housing programme
“We are looking to expand… our housing programme here in 2022. We are going to do an aggressive housing drive here in 2022 to address the backlog of over 7000 application that we have right now in Region Six – people who are waiting for their allocations,” Minister Rodrigues said.
“We have been trying as far and as much as possible to give every region the type of attention they need…we have started putting together budget 2022, this is an opportunity to identify the needs of the community,” she further stated.
She also pointed out that there are, at Ordnance Fort Lands, ongoing works from the 2021 budget to the tune of $150 million, and another $200 million is being spent on infrastructure works in Hampshire and Williamsburg. In addition, $250 million is being expended at Number 79, 76 and 77 Villages for infrastructural development.
“And all of these works are scheduled to be completed before the end of December 2021.”
Further, the Minister stated that projects for upgrades to Number 76 and 77 Villages along with Fort Ordinance are at the Tender Board level.
In response to poor street lighting, she has committed to donate those to be erected at Ordnance Fort Lands as well as Chesney. The Minister also committed to providing the needed remedial upgrade to major roads in all four communities she visited.
Meanwhile, she noted that the Ordnance Fort Lands Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and the Kilcoy-Chesney NDC continue to provide the relevant services to residents in those areas, even though residents do not pay their taxes.
Rodrigues added that the new schemes have not been handed over to the NDCs, and as such, the services being provided by the respective NDCs to those new schemes are limited.
“The system requires that when a new housing area is being developed, Central Housing and Planning Authority will do the initial infrastructure work up to about 80 percent, and then they will hand it over,” she pointed out.