–with commissioning of new $141M well at Lusignan

SOME 22,000 residents of Lusignan and Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD), will now enjoy improved access to potable water following the completion of a new well at Lusignan, valuing approximately $141M.

The well, which was drilled by S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies & Construction Services to a depth of 955 feet, services residents of Grassfield, Lusignan Pasture, Lusignan East & West, Annandale and Courbane Park.
This significant addition to the water system on the ECD was commissioned by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Tuesday.

The Head of State, in his remarks, referred to the government’s $6.2 billion investment in the water sector since assuming office in August 2020.

According to the President, some $11 billion has been earmarked for the water sector over the next two years. He said that this investment will ensure that 100 per cent access to potable water is achieved along the coast and the hinterland by 2025 and that 100 per cent access to treated water is achieved along the coast.

President Ali also took the opportunity to highlight that the government has removed Value Added Tax (VAT) from water, reinstated the pensioners’ subsidy and reduced the water tariff by five per cent across the board. This, he noted, is what a responsible government does.

He congratulated all those involved in seeing the new Lusignan well to fruition.
Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, said that the new well is another achievement of repairing and adding to critical infrastructure.

He pointed out that while the well was not originally budgeted for in 2021, the government made additional resources available for its construction.
He encouraged the beneficiaries of the new well to use the water responsibly and to report any leaks they observe in their communities.

Minister Croal used the opportunity to state that the possibility of using the Hope Canal as a water source on the ECD is being explored given the growing demand for the resource as well as the effects of climate change.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GWI, Shaik Baksh, acknowledged the suffering of the communities following the collapse of the old Lusignan well in late 2020.

He apologised to the residents for the delay in bringing the new well into operation, which he attributed to the depletion of GWI’s inventory under the previous government.
Baksh, however, assured residents that this situation has been resolved and well materials have been procured for a next four or five wells.

According to the CEO, a minimum of eight wells will be drilled along the coastland in 2022 and 30 in the hinterland. A robust maintenance programme is also in place for the maintenance of the existing wells and water treatment plants.

The CEO further stated that GWI is moving aggressively towards the construction of six new water Treatment plants
Chairman of the Mon Repos/La Reconnaisance NDC, Ayube Mohammed, said that the residents’ lives have been made easier with the completion of the new well.

He said the facility is well appreciated even as he expressed gratitude to all those involved in the project.
The well has a design life of 30 years and has a production capacity of 210 cubic meters of water per hour.

The water quality analysed by GWI’s Scientific Services Department confirmed that all tested parameters, with the exception of iron, conforms to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard for drinking water purposes. This will be remedied with the installation of iron removal facilities within the affected areas in the near future.