More Georgetown communities to get 24-hour water supply

─ Ministry of Communities’ Supplemental Bill for GWI services approved by National Assembly

─ GWI to invest $200M in Georgetown water upgrades

By Nateshia Isaacs

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, May 23, 2019

Thousands of Georgetown residents are slated to benefit from remedial and upgrading works being done to the Central Ruimveldt Water Treatment Plant.

The $60M project is being undertaken by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) through the Ministry of Communities under its Urban Sewage and Water Programme.

The project has three main operational components. The first involves the $60M upgrades to the central Ruimveldt plant. The second component covers the installation of new mains in Albouystown priced at $40M and the $100M upgrade of the ‘Trunk’ main along Church Street, Georgetown.

Altogether, the sum of the remedial infrastructural interventions is billed at $200M.

Residents will now be provided with 24-hour access to clean water when they turn on their taps. Communities benefitting from the new access include West Ruimveldt, Alexander Village, Shirley Field, Ridley Square, Roxanne Burnham Gardens, South Ruimveldt Gardens and Rasville.

Presenting the Supplemental Bill to the National Assembly at its 115th   sitting was Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, who highlighted the need for the additional funds to remedy the aged infrastructure inclusive of asbestos-filled mains and cast-iron pipes.

These water mains constantly suffer leakages and several breakages resulting in lengthy disruptions to the water supply as constant pipe breakages require the entire plant to be shut down to allow for remedial works.

Among the projects to be completed include the replacement of distribution and transmission mains which are, currently, highly porous at the junction of Mandela Avenue and the East Bank Highway.

That project will complement an ongoing project which will see an additional 500 service connections being made to households.

GWI was allocated $3B in the 2019 budget for the provision of improved potable water systems.

Image:  Marceano Narine.