MINISTER within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, handed over a $23.8M contract to the Aishalton Village Council on Friday for a water distribution system.
The Minister was joined by Mr. Ramchand Jailal, the Director of Hinterland Services at Guyana Water Inc., as well as other technical officers.

The presence of this new facility will assist in enhancing the effectiveness of the village’s four current water supply systems. Minister Rodrigues emphasised the necessity of the new system due to the village’s increasing population and the prolonged dry season, which has impacted multiple villages nationwide.

Additionally, the Minister informed residents who were gathered at the village benab that one of the existing wells has been severely depleted.
“It is important that we meet the growing demand of our citizens, and this here is a testament to our government’s commitment to fulfilling our mandate to increase access to potable water,” she said.

The Minister explained that some four years ago, access to potable water in the hinterland stood at merely 44 per cent, but, remarkably, with the billions of dollars in investments, that percentage has increased to 86 per cent.

Minister Rodrigues further stated that the Ministry was making significant progress towards achieving complete coverage to hinterland communities, with an additional 40 wells planned in the upcoming months.

Over the course of the coming weeks, the Village Council will be launching the distribution network, with the assistance of community involvement. As a result, this will enhance the development of the village’s economic status.

The new well was successfully drilled by D&R Construction, which incurred a cost of $15 million, while the responsibility for constructing the distribution network falls on 3D Construction.

The handing over was done in the presence of Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, US Ambassador to Guyana- Her Excellency, Ms. Nicole D. Theriot, representatives from the Pan American Health Organization, Toshao, Michael Thomas, and residents. The health team is in the region for the LLIN Mass Distribution Launch 2024, as part of the fight against malaria.