MINISTER of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, on Monday, turned the sod for a new Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA) regional office at Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo). Also present at the sod-turning exercise, which was held at the Lethem Commercial Block where the new office will be constructed, was the Director of Hinterland Services at GWI, Ramchand Jailall. Some $23 million has been set aside in the 2021 budget for the construction of a building at Lethem to house GWI and CH&PA regional offices. As it is now, bids for the project are currently being evaluated, after which an award will be made and mobilisation will commence. The duration for the completion of this project is an estimated three months. According to Minister Croal, the new office will ease the financial burden on the water company, as they are currently renting an office space for their operations in Lethem.

Additionally, a section of the soon-to-be-constructed building measuring 24×40 feet, will house CH&PA. This new facility will allow both agencies to offer better services and accommodate more persons at one time for business transactions. According to Minister Croal, this is an indication of the direction in which the Ministry of Housing and Water intends to go, especially as it relates to strengthening its regional offices and offering a better quality of service to its customers.
Minister Croal, during previous visits to other regional offices, has stressed the need for improved infrastructure, adequate staff, and strengthening of regional services offered by the ministry.
Already under CH&PA, Regional Housing Officers have been appointed in Regions Five and Six. In Region Two, a building has been identified for a housing office, while additional persons have been employed to strengthen capacity. Further, plans are in place for a GWI regional office in Bartica, which will also house the region’s first CH&PA office.