– promises improved water quality

THE commitment to provide purified water for every home was reinforced when Minister Susan Rodrigues visited the new water treatment plant site at Caledonia, East Bank Demerara.
According to Minister Rodrigues, the water-treatment plant, which commenced in January 2023, is scheduled to be finished in December 2024 and will produce a daily capacity of 6300 cubic metres. With the removal of iron from the water, Minister Rodrigues added that residents can look forward to an improved quality of water, as well as the pressure that will flow through their taps at home.

Following the inspection of progress of the water-treatment plant, the minister explained that she had no doubt that the project would be finished earlier than expected. She also stated that even though the government hopes to attain 90 percent treated water coverage on the coastland by 2025, Minister Rodrigues said that the initiative will have a substantial influence on the lives of the people.

According to a report from the Ministry of Housing, “some $681 million is being invested for this development. SIGMA Engineering from Bangladesh leads as the contractor. The scope of the work includes the introduction of a contact tank; the deployment of three filters; the establishment of a new ground-storage tank; the creation of a chlorine room; the setup of a room for blowers, and the design of a pump room. So far, foundation work has been completed for the chlorine and pump rooms. Further, the filters and contact tank are supported by driven piles.”
The report also stated that “the plant at Caledonia forms part of the $8.5 billion contracts signed in October 2022 for seven treatment plants under the GWI’s Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme. The other plants will be developed at Onderneeming, Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam); Parika, Region Three, Wales; Lust En Rust in Region Three; Cummings Lodge and Bachelor’s Adventure in Region Four. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) also recently approved funding for five other treatment plants in Regions Two, Three, Five, and Six.”
Earlier in July, the Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, told the Guyana Chronicle that, because of the magnitude of some communities on the coastland, they are installing treatment plants and wells at a cost of $125 million, so that the people can have easier access to water supply in their homes.

According to him, “we have started to drill a new well at Cummings Lodge New Housing Scheme, and that will supply the new treatment plant that we are also installing there. The area will obviously be supplied through the treatment plant, but even though it is for the Cummings Lodge community, we would normally interlink the system so that the neighbouring communities will also benefit from it”.

He continued, “It is very much needed in that area because of the capacity of the community, and while we are considering the population of these communities, I must mention that we are also drilling another well at Turkeyen, which is at the back of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).”

While Minister Croal said that the well at Turkeyen will commence shortly, he also shared that several other coastal wells are being drilled, along with many other developments that will happen in the area. The housing minister also stated that, in order to eliminate the problem of residents not receiving adequate treated water in their homes, such projects are very necessary. According to him, the Sophia water system alone cannot provide the different communities with the required amount of water. However, considering that most of the areas are fairly new or are now developing, the minister said that it is one of the main reasons the government has seen the need for the water plant and well initiatives.