At Diamond commissioning…
RESULTS from the turnaround plan for the water delivery are being seen as the Administration continues to expand the social sector, Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali reported last Friday.

Addressing the gathering, including President Bharrat Jagdeo at the official commissioning of the $55M well station in Sixth Street, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, the Minister said: “Today, we are celebrating another milestone of the Government.”

He recalled that, earlier this year, when countries throughout the Caribbean and globally were suffering from a serious financial crisis, Guyana had a budget that sought to increase its social sector spending because the Administration believes, strongly, in providing services, such as for water, education and health, in an equitable manner to all Guyanese.

Ali said the benefit of one such expenditure is in evidence at Diamond, noting that those who live in that community would recall the hardship they went through to access potable water.

He said, just after he became a minister, President Jagdeo spoke, in very strong terms, about transforming the water sector and seeing people get better supply, specifically identifying the Diamond community as one that required intervention.

“We are very happy that we, as a government, can deliver to you, the people, this service today,” Ali said.

He admonished the beneficiaries to value such investment in light of finding scarce resources under very difficult circumstances globally.

Ali indicated that the Government is still expanding the infrastructure base of this country and noted: “We are doing this in an incremental way. Simultaneously, whilst we are having strong development in the housing sector, we are also having strong, simultaneous, critical investment in the health sector, the water sector and the economy, to match the growth that housing creates.”

He asserted that it is a very planned development pathway that is being followed.

OPPORTUNITIES
Ali said, at Diamond, apart from the improved water supply and the diagnostic centre, there are economic opportunities that would be generated with the opening of new (commercial) banks, a (fuel) service station and other major business activities.

“It is a very holistic development agenda that the Government is implementing for the benefit of every single Guyanese,” he maintained.

Ali said the water sector turnaround plan, that was developed a few years ago, sought to identify the critical investment required to change the level of service and quality of the flow provided to people countrywide.

He disclosed that, this year, for example, in excess of $4 billion were expended in the water sector and the $70M spent in Diamond comprise one component of the more than $455M that were invested on East Bank Demerara.

Ali said that investment, including the transmission interlink at Agricola and the interconnectivity to South Ruimveldt treatment plant, are all critical linkages that would deliver the objective of that turnaround plan to give a better quality and flow of water.

He said the commissioned well has a borehole of approximately 690 feet and added: “The reality of the situation in Guyana is that the natural water resource that we are blessed with has a very high iron content. However, I wish to assure you that the quality of water meets all standards of the World Health Organisation.”

Alluding to the size of the complex, he said: “We recognised this as an issue for the future and, just as we are building water treatment plants in Berbice, Linden, Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) in the future, we are making the preparation for such incremental development.”

“Development can’t be an overnight activity. Here is it, we are starting from nothing. Through the strong leadership of the Government, the foundation is laid for expansion,” Ali emphasised.

About water wastage, he said the investment is for all the people who must all have a sense of ownership of it and he urged that it be safeguarded and protected.

“We must also understand that the reality of global changes. Global warming and environmental changes also would place pressure on even a country like Guyana – land of many waters – in the delivery of potable water,” he said.

CONSERVATION
Ali said the issue of conservation must be dealt with now, starting with a change in culture in the way consumers use water.

The minister said metering is not to make consumers pay more money but it is to help them conserve water and utilise only what is necessary for their sustenance.

He reminded that the service is subsidised by more than 400 per cent and stated: “We are not paying the true market cost of this water and this is because of the caring nature of the Government.”

“Early this year, a lot of us heard about stimulus packages but Guyana was benefitting from a stimulus package long before all of this, because the subsidy we get on water, the subsidy we get on electricity and the subsidy we get when we purchase a house lot are all economic benefits that the Government is paying up front for you,” Ali explained.

He said that is due to the Government recognition of the fact that certain services, like water, should not be limited to any section of society but should be accessible to every section of our society, regardless of any barriers.

Ali said, importantly, the Diamond well also caters for a 50 per cent expansion in terms of the network and number of people it would have to serve.

“What we are going to seek to achieve on the East Bank is to have interconnectivity of the systems and that is to bring our networks and pumping stations holistically together, to synergise them and the result of this should seek to reduce the cost of operation, energy requirement and aid in terms of emergency management,” he said.

“So these are all investments that are on the card and in that turnaround plan that would seek to bring benefit to the people of the East Bank,” Ali posited.

He announced that, in another few weeks, the Lusignan well, on East Coast Demerara, is expected to be commissioned, after another critical investment.

Ali assured President Jagdeo that his commitment and mandate to the water sector, in changing the colour code that has been made public, in terms of pressure and flow, should show significant results by August next year.

The Minister said, already, tremendous improvements have been recorded in the Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) and East Coast Demerara systems.

He acknowledged that very harsh criticism in certain segments of the media and said, when events like these occur, when the changes and the shift occur, they absent themselves from the success stories.

“All of us – media, residents, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, non-governmental organisations – we all have a critical part to play, a responsible part to play in this partnership to development…let us continue to work together for a better sector and a better Guyana,” Ali exhorted.