Tag: water treatment plant

New $468M Bartica water treatment plant to serve 6,000 residents

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

A $468 million water treatment plant commissioned on Saturday at Five Miles, Bartica, is expected to serve about 6,000 residents from Four to Seven Miles as the town’s demand for treated water grows.

The facility, located along the Bartica/Potaro Road, is the first treatment plant in the area to use surface water drawn from a nearby stream. It is designed to support expanding housing and commercial activity.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who commissioned the plant, said the facility was built to meet medium-term demand while allowing for future expansion.

“In every aspect of development, we try, as far as possible, to ensure at least the medium-term demand is satisfied with that investment. We cannot sit and wait. We have to plan continuously ahead of time,” he said at the ceremony.

New treatment facilities are being constructed with modular systems that allow capacity to be increased without dismantling existing infrastructure, the president added, noting that Bartica is expected to see growth in housing, healthcare, aviation, and commercial activity over the next five years.

The Five Miles facility forms part of the government’s $40 billion Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme, which aims to expand treated water coverage to 90 per cent by 2026. The programme is being implemented by Guyana Water Incorporated.

Under the programme’s first phase, seven large treatment plants and 15 smaller plants were completed, 12 facilities were upgraded, and about 200 kilometres of transmission mains were installed across Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven.

Seven additional plants are under construction in the programme’s second phase, including facilities at Maria’s Delight, Wakenaam, Leguan, Hope, Bath, Adventure, and Five Miles.

The Five Miles plant was constructed by Toshiba Water Solutions Inc at a cost of $468 million.

Supporting works, including the water catchment system, pumping station, and transmission pipeline, cost $68 million. A reinforced concrete access road to the catchment and pumping station will be built at a cost of $71 million.

The project is being financed through the government’s Public Sector Investment Programme to support expanding housing developments at Five and Seven Miles and to improve service to residents at Four Miles.

President Ali said Region Seven had received billions of dollars in investments between 2020 and 2025, including housing infrastructure, road rehabilitation, renewable energy projects, and a new $7.5 billion regional hospital in Bartica.

He said water services had been expanded without tariff increases, noting that the government reduced water rates by five per cent and restored subsidies for senior citizens and pensioners.

Looking ahead, he said the water sector strategy for 2026–2030 will expand to include wastewater management and modern sewage systems, beginning in Georgetown and integrating planning with new housing developments nationwide. (Reworked from DPI)

President Dr Irfaan Ali

$2.2B water treatment plant at Adventure to serve 5,000 people

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

The government will invest $2.2 billion to construct a brand-new water treatment plant at Adventure in Region Six.

Construction works on the treatment facility are scheduled to be completed in 2026. It will benefit approximately 5,000 people from Tain to Number 50 Villages when it is complete.

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, made the announcement during a recent housing drive in the region.

The Adventure plant is one of five treatment plants funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Residents were reassured that the government is making targeted investments totalling about $3 billion in the region’s water sector to improve water access and quality.

“This is to ensure that everyone eventually must get 24-hour water and treated water coming through your taps,” he stated, before noting, “That’s the commitment we have given for the coastland.”

Rehabilitation and expansion works have been carried out on the Port Mourant and New Amsterdam Treatment Plants, resulting in improved service delivery and water supply to residents.

The plant at New Amsterdam is earmarked for completion in June 2025, supplying treated water to 5,000 more customers in Vryheid, Stanleytown, Smythfield, and Tucber Park.

The government is also updating and enhancing the transmission networks to provide greater access to a reliable supply of clean water.

Minister Croal disclosed that $50 million more will be invested to upgrade the in-line filters at Chesney, Edinburg, Number 69 Village, Johanna, Crabwood Creek and Mibicuri by the end of June. This will benefit hundreds of residents.

“We received the no-objection for the awarding of a contract for the drilling of a new well at Yakasari/Johanna that will address every complaint for water in Black Bush [Polder]. Another $300 million [will be invested] there…We want to ensure that the level of service is at a certain level for everyone,” the minister disclosed.

A new well is being constructed in the community of Mara, and six smaller treatment plants are under construction in the region. They are expected to be completed by mid-2025.

All these initiatives are part of the administration’s broader goal of providing treated water to 90 per cent of residents in Region Six. (DPI)

Minister Croal speaks to Region Six residents