10,000 EBD residents to gain first-time water access by Thursday

After years of waiting, ten thousand residents of Little Diamond and Great Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) will gain access to water for the first time in their communities by Thursday.

“This area is now serviced with water. So the people who have house lots in this area or who have already started their construction, I just want to assure them that this area is now fully serviced with GWI (Guyana Water Incorporated) connections,” Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, said on Wednesday.

The connection is made possible following the completion of a well at Covent Garden, EBD.

“We completed that well at Covent Garden, and today is the last day that we are completing the interconnection to ensure that this area and Sections 1, 2, and 3 in Great Diamond are serviced with water,” Rodrigues told the media during a visit to Little Diamond.

According to Rodrigues, many residents had previously applied and were waiting for access to water. Following the completion of final works on Wednesday afternoon, she said the communities are expected to be fully connected by Thursday morning.

“The connections are there; they do have the mains in their yards, so they were just waiting on the lines to be built. By this afternoon, that will happen. So let’s say by tomorrow (Thursday) morning, people will be fully serviced by our network,” Rodrigues said. “So for people who have been waiting to build, I want to assure them that this area is now serviced,” she added.

Since 2020, an increasing number of citizens from both hinterland and coastal regions have been able to access potable water. This forms part of the government’s aim of ensuring that all communities have water access by 2025.