…water meets WHO standard, assures Minister Ali
THE Guyana Water Inc (GWI) is implementing several projects across Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne) in line with the government’s commitment to providing improvement of service and quality of life to all citizens. The most recent of these initiatives is the Canefield Well Station, commissioned on Wednesday by Minster of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, in East Canje, Berbice.
According to Ali, this facility, jointly funded by the Government of Guyana and GWI, will significantly improve the water supply to approximately 14,000 residents of Canefield East and West, who were once served by the Cumberland well station.
“These residents will now experience a significant boost in their water pressure, since the two wells will complement each other,” he explained.
He reminded the residents that over the past six years, this Administration has worked assiduously to ensure that the entire region’s inhabitants benefit from equitable development through the implementation of several projects.
These include the construction of two state-of-the-art Water Treatment Plants in No.56 Village and Queenstown, at a cost of $2.7B, the implementation of the Rose Hall Water Improvement Project, at a sum of $2.4B, the installation of transmission mains in several villages, including Skeldon, Fyrish, Black Bush Polder, Whim and others, at a cost of $200M, and the upgrade of distribution systems in more than ten areas, costing in excess of $250M.
As to the driving force behind these investments, Minister Ali said, “It is our commitment to ensure that everyone has access to potable water which is important for health and well-being and for economic development; we will continue to extend our programmes to deliver safe water to all homes, with special attention to remote and isolated communities.”
Ali also revealed that presently, works are being completed for the drilling of two new wells, for a total sum of $140M, one in Manchester, and the other in Rose Hall. These will be completed in August of this year, and will result in additional improvement in the lives of even more of the 122,000 persons who reside in Region 6.

Concerns Raised
Meanwhile, several of the residents present at the commissioning ceremony complained that they were unsure about the quality of the water and dissatisfied by the appearance of the final product, and called for a treatment plant to be built in the area.
While many acknowledged that it will take time to “flush out the system”, and to see the improvement in the overall quality of water available, a few remained adamant that the water was unsafe for consumption.
Addressing this important concern, Minister Ali said, “I can assure you that the water coming out of the well is not harmful, and meets the World Health Organization (WHO) standard.”
Added to this, Region 6 Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha, also pointed out to the community members that they would benefit from continued improvement but that this would happen on a systematic basis.
“When we look across the region, we can boast of at least four water treatment plants. I want to assure you that through the commitment of this government, these things are possible for you; we are improving things systematically, and the improvement that we are seeing here today is one step,” he stated.

Benefits Recognized
However, most of the residents gathered expressed their appreciation for the new Well, which they collectively acknowledged would improve the quality and reliability of the water provided.
“We were suffering in this area, so this venture will  improve the standard of water  and the pressure we get through the pipes; so instead of just a few hours of water flowing through our pipes, we will now be able to enjoy the service all day,” Mr. Bhupaul Jagroo, a long time resident, explained.
Another community member, William Simmons said, “I think it is something good for the people of East and West Canefield.”
“I know that not everything can be done at one time; but I hope that in the future, they can set up a water treatment plant. It is a very good gesture by the government of this country and I have been a resident in this area for 25 years.”
As to the advantages of the new well, Mr. Sukradlall Beharry stated, “I am living in this area since 1950; the water was very bad and rusty over the years; you could not even consume the water and this is a big settlement. I hope that this well will be able to produce clean drinking water to benefit the residents living here.”
Ms. Fiona Asregadoo, a 12-year resident remarked, “Once we could drink the water, I think it is a very good investment. I have been living here for the past twelve years and you could not even drink the water for a long time, it was rusty and smelled bad. I know this is a new well so we have to wait and see and the quality would improve.”