$8M in water tanks distributed to Mahaicony River residents, farmers

Residents and farmers of Mahaicony River in Region Five on Thursday now have a sufficient and reliable source of drinking water following the distribution of 202 water tanks, totaling more than $8 million.

The distribution was spearheaded by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Anand Persaud at Green Mill, Mahaicony Branch Road.

The initiative is a fulfillment of a pledge made by Minister Mustapha at a farmers’ gathering in the region last month, where residents expressed concerns regarding saltwater intrusion in the Mahaicony River as well as issues related to potable water and irrigation for their farmlands.

Minister Mustapha reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing resources to enhance their livelihoods towards a brighter future.

“We will work with you over time to see how you could get water on a regular basis. Very shortly, cash crop and rice farmers in this area will once again receive free fertilisers from the government,” the minister noted.

The agriculture minister outlined other infrastructural developments the region is set to benefit from, which include a new pump station, a state-of-the-art hospital, and road infrastructure.

“This year, we want to increase our production of rice substantially [and] all of us will have to work together. We, from the government, will make it conducive and give you the support…so that all of us can achieve that target,” Minister Mustapha underscored.

Meanwhile, Minister Persaud noted that the government continues to intervene in many communities to provide water tanks, noting that water remains a necessity for every citizen.

“It is not only in Mahaicony that this phenomenon is happening. It is happening throughout Guyana…We have responded in various communities where we had reports of residents not accessing potable water, and we responded because the people and children of this country are important to us,” Minister Persaud stated.

Other communities that benefitted from the distribution of black tanks include Bamboo Landing, Western, Sea-Kumaka, and Kursima which are satellite areas in Whitewater Village in the Mabaruma sub-district, among others.