– as primary source of water for Reg 10

THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is seeking to preserve the Dakoura Creek Watershed (DCW) in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The objective is to sustain the creek as the primary source of water for the western sub-section of the Linden Water System.
The clear-water creek, which has an estimated annual flow of 52 million cubic meters, currently serves as a water source for some 12,000 residents, via the Western Sub-system of the Linden Water System and a plan is currently being finalised for the management of its watershed.

On Wednesday, members of the public were sensitised about the Management Plan for the watershed by GWI’s Environmental Management Consultant, Mr Samuel Wright during a presentation at the Moray House in Georgetown.

The plan articulates the proposed strategy to protect the DCW, its designated uses and associated goals and objectives, and the actions to be implemented to support the sustainability of the watershed.
Among the goals listed in the plan are the maintenance and improvement of water quality and supply to sustainably meet the needs of natural and human communities; protecting public Health and the drinking water supply; and supporting appropriate economic and sustainable development to reduce the impacts of squatting.

HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA
The Dakoura Creek has been found to have high levels of bacteria, and threats to it include mining, unauthorised logging, subsistence farming, the uncontrolled dumping of garbage, and urbanisation.

It is expected that through the management of the watershed, there would be an improved understanding of the watershed, clear goals and objectives on how to manage the watershed, community engagement and support, decisions based on best information and good integration with other plans.

Several recommendations have been made to implement measures listed in the plan. One such recommendation is the execution of a water quality monitoring plan, which Wright said is expected to be initiated in the third quarter of 2018.

That project is estimated to cost G$3M annually, and will be funded by GWI, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
Members of the public are invited to provide feedback for the finalisation of the management plan, which details the procedures for the further characterisation and subsequent analysis of data, and also the roles and responsibilities of the relevant stakeholders, and the resources needed for its implementation.

According to Mr Wright, it is of paramount importance that all stakeholders, among them the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), GGMC, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), GWI, Regional Democratic Council of Region 10, Bosia Minerals Guyana Limited, and the Linden Mayor & Town Council, work together to achieve the water resource goals.