Murawa residents to access potable water soon with new $34M well

Over 100 residents from Murawa in Region Eight will benefit from a new $34 million well that will provide easier access to potable water for the first time.

Construction works are set to begin shortly, so residents there will no longer have to walk for one hour to source water from the river or harvest rainwater.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, made the announcement during a community engagement at the village’s Benab on Wednesday.

She explained that, “We have already tendered for the well for Murawa and the contractor is expected to bring in his equipment in two weeks to start the drilling of the new well.”

Due to the deplorable state of the road, she disclosed that the Ministry of Public Works will facilitate emergency repairs on the access road and bridges to enhance accessibility for the residents and for the rig to be transported to the community to drill the well.

Housing development

Apart from constructing a new well, 10 houses will be built in Murawa under the Hinterland Housing Programme.

Building materials such as wood are sourced directly from the community, stimulating the local economy and providing additional disposable income for many households.

Already, the community has cut 16,565 out of 50,000 wood to build all the houses for the housing project.

Twenty-eight solar panel systems will be provided to the community to boost access to electricity.

Meanwhile, issues highlighted by residents, including health, infrastructure, pension payments and transportation, will be relayed to the respective ministries for immediate intervention.

Minister Rodrigues also detailed the substantial investments made by the government in education, health, and infrastructure, aiming to improve access to much-needed services.

Present at the meeting were Senior Councillor of Murawa, Gilbert Anthony; Representative from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Orlando Shuman and Senior Engineer at Guyana Water Incorporated Inc, Khemraj Persaud.