Quality of water to improve within next two years – GWI CEO

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI), Shaik Baksh, recently revealed that the water quality in Guyana will see significant improvements over the next two years.

“This is a main concern [water quality] of the population, but within a year or two these problems will be largely, not completely, be resolved, with the construction of many treatment plants, the drilling of dozens wells, the installation of miles and miles of transformation and distribution,” Baksh said at the 22^nd anniversary celebration of GWI.

At the anniversary celebration, thirty-two long-standing employees were awarded for their outstanding contributions to the water sector. Additionally, 20 retirees were also honoured for their contributions throughout the years.

“It was 22 years ago that GWI was established and that was on May 30, 2002 and that was a milestone, because before that, we had several agencies, organisations in control of water at the national level, it was a divided water sector so to speak,” Baksh said.

Reflecting on the journey over the last two decades, Baksh said “In the early days we know people used to fetch water by buckets and by carts, all of that is over as we celebrate our 22^nd anniversary.”

He emphasized the importance of the water sector for the economic development of the country.

“The water sector is playing a key role in the reduction of poverty and the improvement of health of the population,” Baksh said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, acknowledged that challenges in accessing clean water still persist.

“In our case, we still have to address constant leakages, wastage in our system.

“But we have made good strides in significantly increasing water access to across all our country, to every region, upgrading and introducing new infrastructure in the water networking. Equally we have invested in improving the skills and the knowledge of our staff and services offered by GWI,” the minister said.

Croal pointed out that consumers have directly benefited from government interventions, such as the restoration of the water subsidy for pensioners and the removal of the value-added tax (VAT) on water consumption, benefiting 201,000 citizens. Residents from the hinterland regions are also benefiting from the construction of new wells.

“Some villages are now getting access to potable water for the very first time others now enjoy a reliable supply,” Croal stated.