THE $1.2 billion water treatment plant at Onderneeming that will serve more than 5,000 residents from Taymouth Manor to Supenaam on the Essequibo Coast, is expected to be completed in April next year.

This is according to a Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) press release which also disclosed that the project is funded by the Government of Guyana.

Toshiba Water Solutions, an international multi-disciplinary environmental services company headquartered in India has been awarded the contract.

According to the release, GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shaik Baksh, inspected the project site on Friday and was impressed with the work done thus far by the contractor.

The project is currently 30 per cent complete and every effort is being made to deliver it within the completion deadline, said Toshiba Water Solution Project Engineer, Amit Singh.

The plant is being built to have a capacity to supply some 10 million litres of water per day.

The construction of the treatment plant follows calls for greater access to treated water by Essequibo Coast residents, and Baksh said the government was happy to deliver on a promise made to the people, the release said

“This plant is one of two large plants that will be constructed on the Essequibo Coast. The other is at Maria’s Delight and together they will provide treated water to residents from Charity to Supenaam,” the CEO was quoted as saying.

Some $1 billion will also be invested in the installation of transmission lines from Taymouth Manor to Supenaam to supply water to households within these areas. This project is already out to tender.

The release added that, apart from the treatment plant at Onderneeming, six others are currently under construction. These are at Parika, East Bank Essequibo; Parfaite Harmonie and Wales, West Bank Demerara; Caledonia and Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara and Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown.

In addition, construction will commence on another five new treatment plants in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.

GWI is committed to providing treated water to 90 per cent of the population by 2025, and, in support of this vision, the Government of Guyana, in recent years, has been investing billions of dollars annually in the sector, the release added.