(Georgetown, Sunday, 24th November, 2019)- History has been created in the villages of Kaicumbay and Yupukari to allow residents first-time access to water in their homes.
In Kaicumbay, which situated in the North Rupununi of Region 9 and accessible by road some two and a half hours from the town of Lethem, some 110 residents in a section of the village have benefitted.
This is as a result of the drilling of a well at the depth of 100 meters and the installation of a Photovoltaic system, transmission and distribution pipelines and individual service connections in the village.
The project was funded by the Government of Guyana and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to the tune of GYD$13M and has doubled the percentage of the village's population with access to potable water. The community now has 90% access and GWI will be working towards 100% in 2020.
The Water Supply system was commissioned on Saturday, 23rd November, 2019 and at that ceremony, GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles informed the residents that the quality of the water produced by the well is in keeping with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
He also highlighted that water quality testing will be done on a monthly basis and residents will have access to the results. The water quality testing kits which will be provided, will allow the results to be acquired in the community.
The Managing Director highlighted that the water found in the hinterland and more so Region 9 is pure, and as such the treatment involved is far less than that which has to be done on the coastland.
He said that Kaicumbay’s water supply system, which was done primarily by in-house GWI staff, provides water to the residents for human consumption and to support economic activities in the community.
Dr. Charles took the opportunity to point out that GWI has taken seriously, President David Granger’s mandate to ensure that the quality of life experienced in the hinterland is no different from that on the coastland.
He placed on record, his gratitude to the residents of Kaicumbay for their outstanding participation in the project. This, he said, is a good example for many other communities.
Meanwhile, delivering the feature address, Minister of Social Protection, Hon. Amna Ally also highlighted government’s efforts to bridge the gap between the quality of life on the hinterland and the coastland.
She pointed out that the president believes that whatever the residents on the coastland enjoy, so should those in the hinterland. The Minister said that the government will consistently develop the hinterland regions, including providing access to potable water to an increasing number of communities.
Stressing the importance of water, she expressed gratitude to the utility’s Managing Director for his efforts not only in the hinterland but countrywide.
Senior Councillor of Kaicumbay, Mr. Ovid Brown said in the previous years the water supply in village was very poor. According to him, the many calls upon the previous administration for a water supply system fell on deaf ears. He thanked the current government for providing the community with the much needed water supply.
Ms. Ernetta Marco, a resident of Kaicumbay was also thankful to the Government for the water supply system. She described previously having to travel long distances down a hill to fetch “dirty water” which she also drank. However, with the new water supply system, access to potable water is convenient and she is able to not only drink clean water but also do chores such as laundry.
Yupukari
Over in Yupukari, Director General Joseph Harmon commissioned a new well, where all residents there will benefit from potable water in their homes.
Yupukari is also situated in the North Rupununi, approximately 3 hours from Lethem, and has a population of 350 residents.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Harmon reiterated that water quality is one of GWI's top priorities and as such, the water residents are receiving is of WHO standard. He also emphasized that the residents need to work along with GWI team to care the system.
The Yupakari well was drilled at a cost of $15 million dollars. This is the second of such in the village. GWI has also created employment for Servicemen from the village, who will now be employed by GWI as permanent staff and move up from receiving a stipend to receiving the minimum wage and all the benefits as a public servant.
