Reg 1 on track to getting 97% potable water by year-end – Public Utilities Ministry

The Public Utilities and Aviation Ministry has announced that Region One (Barima-Waini) is on track to achieve 97 per cent potable water coverage by the end of the year.
The announcement followed a visit to several communities in the region on Wednesday by the subject Minister Deodat Indar, and a technical team from the Ministry.
One of the villages visited was Black Water, located just a few kilometres from the Guyana–Venezuela border, where the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) supplies residents through three community wells.
Whilst there, the Minister commissioned a new solar-powered water system. The new six-inch well is approximately 40 metres deep and was drilled in-house by GWI. Residents were employed to help construct the distribution network through a village council–community partnership.
Additionally, the Ministerial team assessed water-distribution systems, engaged residents and identified practical solutions to improve their water supply, following commitments made by President Dr Irfaan Ali during his recent cabinet outreach.
“The water here does not have any iron inside; it’s direct from the aquifer. Folks can use it. I see everybody has a pipe in their yard and their house. So, GWI managed to reach as far as the border of Guyana-Venezuela in this community,” Indar remarked in a video uploaded to his Facebook page following the visit.
Indar and his team also visited Thomas Hill, where residents complained to President Ali, during the recent outreach, of inconsistent water supply.
“We’ve come out here to check on it, how we can able to fix this issue,” he expressed. He explained that the area has three wells which can supply Thomas Hill as well as other communities.
“They are running a transmission line out of this area to central Mabaruma area, and that additional amount of volume of water can now be sent towards the Kumaka area, where I understand there’s in excess of 125 households there. In Kumaka area, there are no supply of water because multikey wells were dug there before, and they found salted water, and we don’t have the treatment for salted water, so this area now, from Thomas Hill, will now supply Mabaruma as well as the Kumaka area,” Minister Indar explained.
Mayor of Mabaruma, Trevi Leung, welcomed the intervention, noting that it will bring tremendous relief to residents, especially amid the El Niño season.
“Access to clean and reliable service is important. It will help our residents to improve their daily lives, their health and hygiene… As we prepare also for the El Niño season, this is very important that we get all of these wells up and running,” Mayor Leung expressed.
According to the Ministry in its statement following the visit, Region One has 90 per cent potable water access, supported by 118 water sources, with 97 per cent targeted by the end of 2026.
Accompanying the Minister during the visits were Director General Alfonso De Armas; Parliamentarian James Bond; Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley; Regional Vice Chairman Paul Pierre; and GWI Executive Director of Hinterland Services Ramchand Jailall.
In addition to Black Water and Thomas Hill, the team also visited Mabaruma, Wauna, White Water, and Hosororo.