THE Kwebanna Village Council was given contracts totalling more than $3.9 million for work on the Kwebanna Water Supply System in Moruca, Region One.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, handed over the contract to Toshao, Troy Peters, in the presence of the Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley; the Vice-Chairperson, Annansha Peters; the Director of Hinterland Services at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Ramchand Jailal and residents during a village meeting on Saturday.

The drilling of the well for the water supply project has already been completed.

The contracts, therefore, provide for the construction of the storage facility and the installation of distribution systems to complete the project; while providing employment opportunities for villagers.

Minister Croal told residents that the PPP/C Government would continue making the necessary investments to ensure all Guyanese have access to potable water, in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The works in the contracts will include: the construction of storage tanks concrete slab; construction of a 25×25 foot perimeter chain link fence around the well site; installation of 720 lengths of 50mm and 300 lengths of 100mm PVC pipelines from the well to the storage tanks and along the distribution network; installation of 220 lengths of 19mm pipelines to accommodate service connections to each resident; installation of PVC pipe fittings; and the provision for a tractor or truck to transport pipes and materials to the project sites from the point of storage.

GWI will supervise the storage facility’s construction and the distribution system’s installation.

Overall, the Kwebanna Water Supply System is pegged at $20 million and will bring first-time potable water access to residents.

During the meeting, residents raised several issues regarding agriculture, security, infrastructure development, and education.

Minister Croal committed to installing ten street lights within the next month at strategic points along the community’s main roadway to enhance security. More security measures for the community are also in the works.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, spoke about the extension of the Kwebanna Primary School, rehabilitation of the nursery school, incoming training programmes for nurses at Moruca and other interventions. The matters raised will also be forwarded to the relevant subject ministers.