THE $55M well station at Somerset on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), projected to benefit 5000 consumers, was commissioned on Thursday by Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali.
Among those attending the ceremony were Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Mr. Yuri Chandisingh; Executive Director, Capital Investment and Planning, Mr. Ramchand Jailal; and Region Two Chairman, Mr. Alli Baksh.
In his speech, Minister Ali emphasised the importance of sustaining the existing water system and implored the residents present to recognise their role in preserving the assets.
“The Government has provided the capital investment and this requires sustainability which is done by paying bills,” he pointed out.
Ali said the beneficiaries should consider themselves fortunate, as water in Guyana is available at the cheapest rate, in comparison to the cost in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He said, over the last year, in order to deal with the challenge of revenue collection, GWI has had to embark on several initiatives and the corporation has since exhausted all avenues to be compassionate and is, currently, carrying out a disconnection campaign.
“I want the message to be heard that we must, as citizens, take the responsibility for paying for services,” Ali emphasised.
He said the facility he was commissioning and other such facilities stand as testimony to Government’s commitment to the equitable distribution of resources throughout the country and, as such, continued improvement within the sector will, eventually, take it to the required state.
“The PPP/C has delivered once more,” he declared, noting that Government has, in the last three years, expended $765M on such facilities, even as wells at Good Hope and Onderneeming have been completed.

EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

Ali commended GWI on its excellent performance this year and said the project achievement rate of his ministry has increased to the point where the capital works programme has been completely executed well before year end.
He recalled that, earlier in the year, President Bharrat Jagdeo had committed to measuring progress in the sector by a colour coded process, with blue being the standard of excellence.
“Almost the entire Essequibo Coast has achieved the blue standard and we have exceeded the level set by His Excellency,” the Minister stated, admitting that the only area that presents a challenge is Charity, also on the Essequibo Coast, where, by early 2011, the water treatment network should be in place.
Chandisingh said it is important to reflect on past conditions, in order to fully understand the magnitude of development occurring across Essequibo.
“We have had tremendous development across our country since 1992,” he said.
Chandisingh lauded the efforts of Minister Ali and acknowledged that the successful completion of the Somerset project would not have been possible without his  guidance and support.
Agreeing that timely bill payments are critical, he maintained that such revenue is vital to the sustainability of GWI.
“Throughout the Essequibo Coast, we can safely say the residents have access to water. But it takes a tremendous amount of money to make that happen,” he reminded.
Baksh expressed gratitude to Minister Ali for the continuing development across the Region, enabling the residents to enjoy a better standard of living.
The now operational Somerset well is 335 metres deep and is capable of producing 60,000 litres of water per hour, benefitting persons living between Somerset and Charity.