MANAGING Director of the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), Dr. Richard Van-West Charles on Wednesday commissioned two wells and water systems along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, signaling the end of water woes, and the realisation of a share of the ‘good life’ for residents of the villages of Sand Hills and Waiakabra.

The wells, valued at more than $52 Million and drilled by contractor Andrew Webb, are now fully in operation and will be working 24 hours per day,GWI officials told the appreciative and equally enthusiastic residents and other stakeholders assembled at the two venues for the commissioning ceremony.
Among those gathered to celebrate the watershed moment in the life of the communities were: Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings Williams; Chief Executive Officer of GWI, Dr. Van-West Charles; Eugene Gilbert, National Director, Community Development Council; Community Development Field Officer, Derick Boyce;Region 10 Members of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira and Audwin Rutherford; Members of GWI Corporate Management team; Regional Managers, contractors and others.

Meanwhile, scores of residents, including teachers, health workers,and representatives were also gathered. For both communities, it was their first access to clean, potable and piped water –the first for Sand Hills in 45 years and the first for Waiakabra since the village was settled in 1956. Dr. Van-West Charles who addressed both commissioning, noting the long periods the residents were without water, admitted that previously the Linden Soesdyke Highway did not fall within the administrative responsibility of the GWI, hence it was virtually a ‘no man’s land’ for the GWI.

However, in 2015, things changed and so the boundaries of GWI are now the boundaries of the regional administration, hence the East Bank Regional Office is now responsible for the development of the Highway;hence the intensity in seeking to have the residents of the highway served.
“But more particularly,” Dr. Charles said, “President David Ganger has identified the principles of Equity,hence it is our remit or responsibility to ensure that all citizens have access to water and good quality water.”

The well at Waiakabra also serves the communities of Hill Foot on the Soesdyke Linden Highway, which also has another well, so that there will always be a back-up in times of eventuality.
Satisfied with the accomplishment of the GWI in this regard, Dr. Charles told the people of Waiakabra: “I am happy to say … It is safe to say that your government has committed to this project $51 Million to ensure that you have access to potable water. And we want to ensure that the schools in particular and health facilities will have access and that the service will be taken care of.”

The Managing Director said that the GWI has a new water quality department that will be monitoring the quality of water across the country and particularly in communities such as these so as to ensure that the water is safe from bacteria and other organisms and impurities. He mentioned too, that there is collaboration with the Ministry of Education to ensure that the black tanks which store water are cleaned on a regular basis and disinfected on a regular basis.

Dr. Charles called on the community to be vigilant against those who are seeking to be destructive, adding “This is your well. This is here to serve the community and I want you to take care of it, as we at GWI work with you to ensure that there is growth in the community and there is sustainability as well.” The wells are operated by solar system and training has been undergone by personnel to ensure the system is run efficiently and effectively.

Essentially, Dr. Charles said that the venture all started out with an invitation from the CDC who made the request for water to be supplied to the two villages, adding that in so doing they are helping to promote sustainable goals which demand that all communities have access to water of quality. Reiterating his thanks and appreciation to all stakeholder, the Managing Director concluded: “I want to define this as our journey to equity of access.”

Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings Williams recalled meeting with the residents soon after her assumption to office in 2015, during which time the request for water was raised. “And today I am very pleased to be coming here to commission a new well and to deliver safe potable water to this community.” She added that 500 residents in Waiakabra will benefit from this intervention at a cost of $51M. For the well at Sand Hills, the cost was much less, since there was appreciable collaboration among the contractor, GWI and the community, a GWI technical official said.