By: Indrawattie Natram

THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will soon purchase a small rig which will be used to drill water wells in riverain communities in the Pomeroon. This disclosure was made by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, on Wednesday, during an open-day event at Charity. This purchase is part of the ministry’s efforts to improve water quality and increase water pressure throughout Guyana.

The minister informed residents that money for the purchase will come from GWI’s capital budget and is the fulfilment of a promise made to the people of Pomeroon by President Irfaan Ali during an outreach in October, 2020.

During his address, Minister Croal told residents that GWI has a strategic plan which includes increased coverage of treated water countrywide. He explained that Region Two is included in this plan.

In the meantime, there is continuous maintenance work being done to the region’s water system. This is expected to result in an improvement of water pressure in Charity, Walton Hall, and Capoey.

According to Minister Croal, engineers and a technical team from GWI are conducting an assessment on the water well at Somerset and Berks with the aim of increasing water flow. The team would then visit Walton Hall before heading to Capoey.

The minister assured residents that the Government of Guyana is doing everything to improve their lives. He spoke of the steps taken by government to remove VAT on water and also to provide a water subsidy to pensioners. Additionally, the tariff for water has been reduced by five per cent across the board for all residents. Residents, who attended the meeting were very thankful for the ministry’s efforts. Many of them indicated that within recent days, the water quality was unacceptable.