Ministries, agencies to protect, restore Mahdia water supply
MINISTER of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali has condemned the continued destruction of pipelines by miners operating along the road to the Salbora Creek in Mahdia, Potaro. The damages result in unwanted materials entering the distribution system and endangering the health of residents in that community.
During a visit to Mahdia on Monday, Minister Ali and a team from his ministry, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and representatives of Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni), inspected the lines along the Salbora Road and discovered several vandalised sections leading from the Salbora Reservoir, which is the primary water source for the community.
Among the main effects of the wanton destruction of the infrastructure, Ali pointed to the tremendous loss incurred by the utility.
He said: “The Government is investing millions of dollars in upgrading the Madhia water system. As a matter of fact, we have spent more than $460M for tapping the source and developing the network and providing water to the community,”
In addition to this, Ali said more than $6M has been invested over the last two years in the rehabilitation of the line which is being destroyed by miners in the area.
Pointing to a recent rupture in the supply system, Ali said: “This is directly related to the behaviour of the miners. They would drill the mains and they would use this as their water source along the network, wherever there is mining. We cannot continue to have this type of destruction of the infrastructure, because, at the end of the day, the people suffer and the Government loses.”

Laws
Alluding to steps to address the problem, the minister reminded of the laws that currently exist and pledged to work along with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment in taking a very serious look at the irresponsible conduct of the miners.
“Beyond the destruction of our infrastructure, these miners must be aware that they are putting lives at risk by compromising the quality of water provided to the Mahdia community. As such, anyone engaging in this wanton disregard for the water infrastructure and the safety of those who use it will be met with severe consequences,” he warned.
Ali announced, too, that the Regional Administration has plans to employ four linesmen to monitor the infrastructure along the Salbora Road.
“We cannot invest in the misuse of resources and we hope that strong action will be taken against perpetrators,” he stated.
Acting GWI Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nigel Niles explained that the current destruction of lines in the area remains a continuing source of concern for the utility, given the frequent nature of the incidents.
“The residents of Madhia came to Georgetown months before to protest about the level of water and, upon dispatching a team to the area, it was discovered that the lines had been tampered with. The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) then offered to assist in repairing the lines as they admitted that it was as a result of mining activities in the area. We recently got these lines put back and to come up here and see the breakages along the way is very concerning,” Niles admitted.
He said consultations will be held with GWI management to examine the most effective way of dealing with the problem.
For his part, the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Ronald Harsawak pledged that the region is going to work closely with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the Housing and Water Ministry and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to ensure that the existing laws are vigorously enforced.

Monitor
In addition, he said the Regional Administration will be employing four linesmen to continually monitor the integrity of the lines and they will be permanently based on site to maintain the reservoir as well as the eight miles of distribution conduits running from it.
The Regional Chairman, Mr. Mark Crawford expressed gratitude the Housing and Water Ministry as well as the Administration for their efforts in ensuring that Madhia residents have access to potable water.
Following the site visit, the minister and his team held consultations with community members, who, collectively, called for interventions to stop the miners from destroying the infrastructure that serves to better their quality of life.
“We need something to be done. The miners are completely taking over. They use parts of the housing scheme for mining and now they are preventing us from getting water. Now we see that they making a short cut through the scheme. If we let them, they will completely destroy everything,” resident Floyd Harmon appealed.