New $141M Well commissioned at Lusignan

Some 22,000 residents of Lusignan and Annandale are boasting of improved access to potable water following the completion of a new well in Lusignan at a cost of close to G$141M.

The well was Drilled by S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies & Construction Services at a depth of 955 feet and services residents of Grassfield, Lusignan Pasture, Lusignan East & West, Annandale and Courbane Park.

It was on Tuesday, March 15 commissioned by President of Guyana, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The Head of State in his feature remarks highlighted Government’s $6.2B investment in the water sector since assuming office in August 2020.

According to him, some $11B has been earmarked for the sector over the next 2 years. He said that this investment will ensure that 100 percent access to potable water is achieved along the coast and the hinterland by 2025 and that 100 percent access to treated water is achieved along the coast.

President Ali also took the opportunity to highlight that Government has removed Value Added Tax (VAT) from Water, reinstated the Pensioners’ subsidy and reduced the water tariff by 5% across the board. This, he noted, is what a responsible Government does.

He congratulated all those involved in seeing the new Lusignan well to fruition.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing & Water, Hon. Collin Croal told the gathering at the commissioning ceremony said the new well is another achievement of repairing and adding to critical infrastructure.  He pointed out that while the well was not originally budgeted for in 2021, Government made additional resources available for its construction.

He encouraged the beneficiaries of the new well to use the water responsibly and to report any leaks they observe in their communities.

Minister Croal used the opportunity to state that the possibility of using the Hope Canal as a water source on the East Coast is being explored given the growing demand for the resource as well as the effects of climate change.

Chief Executive Officer of GWI, Mr. Shaik Baksh acknowledged the suffering of the communities following the collapse of the old Lusignan well in late 2020.

He apologised to the residents for the delay in bringing the new well into operation, which he attributed to the depletion of GWI’s inventory under the previous Government.

However, he assured that this situation has been turned around and well materials have been procured for the next 4 or 5 wells.

According to him, a minimum of 8 wells will be drilled along the coastland in 2022 and 30 in the hinterland. A robust maintenance programme is also in place for the maintenance of the existing wells and Water Treatment Plants.

The CEO further stated that GWI is moving aggressively towards the construction of six new water Treatment plants

Chairman of the Mon Repos/La Reconnaisance NDC, Mr. Ayube Mohammed stressed that the residents’ lives have been made easier with the completion of the new well.

He said the facility is well appreciated even as he expressed gratitude to all those involved in the project.

The well has a design life of 30 years and has achieved a good production of 210 cubic meters of water per hour.

The water quality analyzed by GWI’s Scientific Services Department confirmed that all tested parameters, with the exception of iron, conforms to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water purposes. This will be remedied with the installation of iron removal facilities within the affected areas in the near future.

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