RESPONDING to a Kaieteur News (KN) article carried in its September 2, 2013 edition under the headline ‘$75M water well taken over by grass’, the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) yesterday declared itself responsible for supervising the physical aspect of the well’s construction, and disclosed that the project had been undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Water.

The KN article said the multi-million-dollar contract for the water well, dug in the compound of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, has been abandoned for several months now; and the project is overwhelmed by grass which, following its completion, will serve residents of the area.
Kaieteur News said that, during an interview on Friday last, GLDA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Dindyal Permaul, admitted that there have been delays with the construction of the water well, which started last year.
The contract was awarded to B.K. International last year, and is part of a number of other wells being dug by that firm across the country. The wells all fall under a programme of the Ministry of Housing and Water.
Dr. Permaul disclosed that the contractor was having difficulty with materials for the well arriving on time. The well is to be dug up to 250 feet, with the contract costing Government at least $75M. Permaul said the contractor may have started work on other wells, and this was also causing the delay.
Dr Permaul said the well, when completed, would serve several facilities at the GLDA and NAREI, including fish farms, labs, other farms, and the GSA.
Dr Permaul said it is still hoped that the well would be completed this year.
In April 2010, Cabinet, through the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), gave its no-objection to four contracts to drill wells. These included one at Canefield, East Canje, for $89M; one at Tabatinga, Region 9, for $77M; another at Mon Repos, ECD, for $89M, and one at Good Hope ECD, for $69M.