Finance Minister Winston Jordan yesterday stated that $2.9B would be spent in 2015 on increasing and improving the quality of water supply across the country.Focus will be on the construction of new treatment plants to supplement existing production capacity, and addressing the gaps in potable water availability, in the far flung reaches of the deep hinterland neighbourhoods
Finance Minister Jordan, in presenting the 2015 National Budget to the National Assembly, said that the sum of $422M will cover the completion of wells at Goed Fortuin, Hope and Cotton Tree, while drilling and interconnection works for new wells at Port Mourant and Wakenaam will commence this year.
He said that another $950M will realise the construction of more wells, and the installing of ground storage tanks, transmission mains and water meters in Uitvlugt, Diamond and Sheet Anchor. In addition, the extension of distribution-transmission mains will be done in areas such as Hope Housing Scheme, Stanleytown, Williamsburg, Kildonan and No. 59, 66 and 69 Villages. Under this same provision, rehabilitation works will be done to the Timehri and New Amsterdam Water Treatment Plants, he said.
Further, a sum of $592M will go to the Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc interconnection systems, even as the upgrading of service connections and metering continues within the same service areas. Meanwhile, for the hinterland areas, a sum of   $130M will cover improvement of the water supply systems in areas such as Koko, Mabaruma, and Port Kaituma in Region 1, and Mahdia, Monkey Mountain, Princeville and Campbelltown in Region 8.
As the Minister pointed out, “water is life” and in this regard, Government will work to ensure that, “Guyanese have access to reliable, safe and quality potable water in every tap, in every town and in every rural and hinterland community.”
But, even as the Government works to establish the infrastructure to deliver potable water, it also recognises that critical to the sustainability of providing a high quality of water service is a change in the national approach to managing water resources in Guyana to one of an integrated water resource management.
In this regard, Minister Jordan said that the 2015 Budget also makes provision for the re-establishment of the National Water Council and the implementation of a new Non-Revenue Water Reduction Plan and Dakoura Creek Watershed Protection Plan.
It also provides for the entire reticulation system of the City of Georgetown, along with substantial overhaul of the Shelter Belt facility, which should commence shortly.