THE government has increased the water supply in hinterland communities from 46 per cent to 82 per cent in three years, according to the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues.

During a news conference on Wednesday, the minister spoke about the vast number of initiatives that are being rolled out by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration to ensure that more Guyanese have access to quality water.

Rodrigues stated that they have successfully drilled over 60 new wells, mostly in the hinterland and riverine communities, within the past three years.

Moreover, she mentioned that the government has obtained financing from the Caribbean Development Bank for the construction of five additional water-treatment plants.

“We have commenced the construction of seven new water-treatment plants. We have commenced rehabilitation and upgrade of 12 existing plants and the installation of 10 small inline treatment systems.”

“So, the combination of these interventions will see the improvements in the water treatment from 52 per cent to 90 per cent by 2025,” she said.

Furthermore, the government official affirmed that there was active participation in conversations surrounding the formation of a National Water Council, which would assume the responsibility of managing water resources nationwide.

Also, she underscored that under the previous APNU+AFC administration, the water utility company faced numerous challenges, such as large outstanding debts, overpaying contractors for works that had not even commenced, and procurement breaches.

“The company received no subvention in five years under the previous government,” the minister related.

Minister Rodrigues did not shy away from disclosing: “There were backlogs of outstanding water connections because the company had no inventory. There were no metres, no fittings, no spheres…There were over 5,000 major reported leaks across the country, so the infrastructure network was in a total mess.”

As the government continues to breathe life back into the water utility company, the minister stated that the company is now in a “stable and solid” financial position with no bank overdrafts, no outstanding debts to suppliers, and the employees are not only benefiting from better salaries, but also quality training.

“Over the last three years, we’ve cleared the backlog of outstanding service connections; we’ve fixed the ongoing leaks; but this is an ongoing process of course as leaks develop in the system. So, the maintenance is something we have to pay careful attention to,” she said.

The implementation of the government’s strategic plan to deliver treated water to 90 per cent of the coastal population will be completed by 2025, according to the minister.

Additionally, with water being a basic human need, Rodrigues boasted that access to potable water is currently standing at 97.3 per cent, nationally.

Under the PPP/C Government, more than 35,000 residents, nationwide, for the first time ever, are receiving potable water.