Lima Sands to get potable water for the first time

GINA, Guyana, Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Some 1000 residents of Lima Sands are expected to receive potable water, for the first time, as the Guyana water Incorporated (GWI) is in the process of installing an entire system consisting of a well, transmission distribution and service connections to the community.

This project is being executed under the water company’s coastal programme at a cost of $112M and is expected to be completed by February 2017.

Lima Sands is a relatively new community located behind Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast. For years, this community has been without potable water and was frequently prone to waterborne diseases, since their main source of water is from the creek that runs through the Mainstay community.

The GWI’s Programme Coordinator, Richard Hoyte explained that the community was developed by Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) some years ago and the area has always been without potable water.

“And so GWI decided that it is time for the residents to have this much needed access to water. The residents were exposed to untreated water and the risk of waterborne diseases was high and so we decided this community needed this project,” Hoyte explained.

The village of Lima Sands, which is the neighboring village to Mainstay/Whyaka, is predominantly an Amerindian village, with a sprinkling of people of other ethnicities.

The community has primary and nursery schools, a community centre, a health centre, a mosque, a temple and eight churches. There is also the Dr Cheddi Jagan Biodiversity Park which is a ‘hang-out spot’ for the residents.

 

By: Synieka Thorne