An increasing number of Guyanese in the hinterland regions are gaining first time access to potable water as Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) continues in its efforts to ensure that all communities have access to potable water by 2025.
The United Nations Sustainable Development goal number 6 speaks to “equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all” and is a target to be achieved by 2030. However, GWI is confident that all communities in Guyana will have access to potable water 5 years earlier.
Further, these efforts are also in keeping with President David Granger’s call for equity between the Hinterland and the Coastland. In this vein, a team of GWI officials led by Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles on July 4 and July 5, 2019 visited Sand Creek, Aranaputa and Massara to assess ongoing works to improve access to potable water in the Region 9 communities.
Sand Creek
In the Community of Sand Creek, some 1020 residents, inclusive of the Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools, School dormitory, Health Center and households are boasting of first time and improved access to potable water.
This is as a result of GWI’s completion of a new well in the community in collaboration with the Pan -American Health Organisation (PAHO). A photovoltaic pumping system, equipped with 18 solar panels, was installed to power the new water supply system.
Additionally, 1 KM of distribution pipes was installed in a section of the community, affording the residents with access to water within close proximity to their homes. Not only has this eliminated the burden of fetching water which was faced by the students of the dormitory and other residents, but access to potable water has now significantly reduced the number of cases of water borne diseases.
Elizabeth Charlie, who has been residing in Sand Creek for 7 years, said that the water situation was particularly difficult during the dry season. She would have had to fetch water from her neighbours prior to GWI’s intervention. However, with a broad smile on her face, she stated that she now has adequate water which keeps her three tanks filled.
Claudia Bernard expressed similar sentiments as she thanked GWI for delivering potable water to her and her fellow community members. The community’s Toshao, Maxie Pugsley also thanked GWI for responding to the water needs of the community.
Headmistress of the Sand Creek Nursery School, Olivia Gomes said that the system is functioning very well and is of great benefit to the students. According to her, the school had been suffering for water for many years but now the children are able to wash their hands at the sinks after using the washroom.
Meanwhile, infrastructural works are ongoing in Sand Creek and includes the installation of additional distribution pipes and the construction of a metal trestle on which six (6) water tanks will be placed. This will afford an additional 240 residents in the eastern section of the community with access to potable water from the newly drilled well. These works are expected to be completed within two weeks.
GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West- Charles during a meeting with residents informed that service men will be trained to maintain the system even as he urged the villagers to care the new water supply system.
He pleaded with the residents not to mix the water provided by GWI with the rainwater which may be contaminated.
Dr. Van West-Charles also told the residents that there are a few houses which are a far distance away and will be catered for in the company’s 2020 budget, so that the entire village will have access to potable water.
GWI also launched a song and poem competition for the community, giving its members the opportunity to convey their feelings about the new water supply system as well as win prizes. The winning entries will be performed at the commissioning ceremony for the project.
The Managing Director expressed gratitude to GWI’s workers for their commitment and hard work, while pointing out that a lot of the work was done in-house. He also thanked PAHO for their assistance and the Toshao and villagers for their cooperation. GWI, he said, will continue to be a partner with the community.
Aranaputa
In the community of Aranaputa, GWI drilled a new well and installed a new Photovoltaic system in the community to provide first time access to potable water for a large section of the community. The fencing was done by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council. GWI’s installation of the distribution network has been delayed due to weather conditions but works will re-commence when the situation improves.
Under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) programme, the network in the remaining section of the community will be completed.
GWI is also working to rehabilitate a pre-existing well and increase the storage capacity. The water is stored in water tanks on a trestle then provided to the residents via a standpipe.
Remedial works were done by GWI at the Aranaputa Nursery school, which together with the Primary school, is provided with water from a pre-existing well. The water from the well is stored in water tanks and fed to the school. GWI will be installing distribution pipes to afford the Kitchen area direct access to the water supply.
The well is also the source of water for the Health Center, which also has tanks and a stand pipe. However, due to lack of proper plumbing, the Community Health Worker often has to fetch water for the flushing of the toilet and caring for patients. There is one sink in the Malaria Section of the Health Center that has running water. GWI will be working to conduct remedial plumbing works to afford the Health Center adequate access to potable water.
Dr. Van West-Charles told the residents that GWI is moving to ensure that all of the wells in the community are interconnected and additional water tanks placed, thereby providing 24 hours water access to the entire community. He informed that all of these works will be completed no later than September, 2019.Two service men will be trained to ensure that the systems function efficiently.
Massara
Remedial works were conducted on one of the community’s trestles which was found to be unstable and the worries of the community members have been erased. GWI will also be examining the possibility of increasing the storage capacity there. The section of the community where that trestle is located has a well and a distribution network.
However, another section of the community does not have access to potable water, and the residents practice rainwater harvesting. During the dry season, the residents access water from a tap which can be found in the compound of a well in the community. The water from the well is fed to storage tanks on a trestle then to the tap. GWI will be conducting additional plumbing works to ensure that water is supplied to this section of the community.
Further, that section of the community will soon benefit from water access to the homes of its residents, as GWI will in the new week commence the installation of distribution pipes. The company will be interconnecting the entire system in the community, inclusive of the two trestles.
GWI remains committed to ensuring that the quality of the water provided to residents in the hinterland is maintained. Therefore, water quality testing will be done on a monthly basis and the results will be made accessible to all residents.
