AS part of government’s commitment to providing clean water to Guyanese, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal visited Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) over the weekend to meet with officials, engineers, technical support staff, and workers of water treatment plants and well sites.

Minister Croal revealed in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle that his visit to the Cinderella County was mainly to oversee the progress of work on the water treatment plants and wells.
The Hill Top community of Capoey, with a population of about 200, will have access to drinkable water for the very first time, according to the minister.

He said this is in keeping with the efforts of the People’s Progressive Party Civic government to improve the quality of life of the people of Capoey and by extension, all of Guyana.

“With a $10M financial allocation, this project will significantly enhance the quality of life for those who are living in Capoey. Due to the positive changes that are happening in the village, the eagerness of residents is growing and they are happy to know that they will get water that they can actually consume. It will be the first time in the history of this community that they will have quality water, and that is worth celebrating,” he expressed.

He added: “This plant will provide vital services to the communities from Supenaam to Taymouth Manor. With a substantial capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day, the facility will be well-equipped to service the needs of an expected future population of about 20,000 people, which is equivalent to more than 5,000 households. It is the government’s aim to ensure that all Guyanese have access to portal water. Like the other communities, I am here to talk with the officials, and I am happy to say that work is progressing smoothly so far. After these major investments are completed, the residents in Region Two will not have to worry about the high iron content or poor quality of the water anymore.”

The Housing Minister, along with technical specialists and the Executive Director of Hinterland for Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) Ramchand Jailall, stated that the purpose of their visit was to assess the ongoing progress of a project. However, they mentioned that a recently purchased Pat Rig will now be used by GWI’s hinterland team for drilling wells in the hinterland regions.

He added, “With the well expected to be finished in two weeks, the team’s commitment is expected to pay off, and they will focus next on developing the distribution network after that.”

The design of the new facility includes various characteristics to ensure its sustainability and usability, according to Minister Croal. The facility will have storage tanks that run on a photovoltaic system, decreasing their carbon footprint.

Once the Capoey well is complete, the Pat Rig will move to the Pomeroon, where they will drill more wells, according to Minister Croal. He says that this initiative aligns with what President Irfaan Ali pledged to the public a year ago.

Toshiba Engineering was given a contract worth G$1,182,143,031 for the crucial project that will be completed under a 24-month contract, by November 9, 2024. The project includes the construction of one contact tank, three filters, a storage tank with a capacity of 3,000 cubic meters, a chlorination system, and a primary pump station that can output 660 cubic meters per hour.

In an interview with Guyana Chronicle last month, Minister Croal stated that President Ali and the PPP/C are working hard to develop infrastructure, provide homes to everyone, create job opportunities, and pursue other initiatives. He said that the communities on the coast are so large that they are spending $125 million to install treatment plants and wells to give people easier access to water in their homes.

“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 shared.

“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),” he added.