Improved access to potable water, infrastructural advancements for Region Seven

Residents of Kako, a village in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) will soon see improved access to potable water, as works will be conducted to facilitate development of the water distribution system.

The Committee of Supply on Wednesday approved the $16 million budgetary allocation under the heading Regional Administration and Finance for Region Seven, which includes maintenance and repairs of several administrative buildings to improve the delivery of services in the region.  

The minister noted that little was done by the previous administration in relation to water access in the village.

Moreover, about three sub-regions of the Mazaruni will see the washing and cleaning of water tanks and reservoirs, as some $89 million has been budgeted for these and other works.

Minister Dharamlall also noted that the budget provides for the improvements to the Kamarang Community Centre Ground, in keeping with a commitment made by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali during a previous visit there. President Ali had promised that the ground will be upgraded into a FIFA-standard facility.

Meanwhile, as it relates to infrastructural development, Minister Dharamlall highlighted a number of villages set to benefit from road maintenance, including the Kako/Waramadong farm to market road, and the Kamarang to Waramadong farm market road.

Education

Region Seven will also see improvements made at a number of schools, including Kamarang nursery, Future Builders Nursery, St. Anthony’s Primary, St. John Baptiste Primary, Kaikan Primary, Agatash Primary, Isseneru Primary, Bartica Secondary, and Three Miles Secondary.

The local government minister said the contracts for these works will be awarded to Amerindian residents in the villages.

“This is also part of the position of our government, stated in our manifesto-that we are going to create wealth in some of these areas. We are going to provide opportunities, we are going to create employment,” the minister told the committee.

He added that, during the tenure of the previous administration, there were only 97 female contractors for such works, while the PPP/C administration has fostered a drastic 181 per cent increase to some 273 female contractors across the ten administrative regions.

Health

The minister highlighted that the new hospital in Bartica will bring massive developments in the delivery of health services there. Additional maintenance works will be conducted at a number of health facilities in the region.

“These facilities have been left to rot for a long time, and we have also been maintaining and building new health quarters to ensure that our doctors are able to travel to the villages,” Minister Dharamlall said.