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Homes for 200 interior residents in the making
Minister Irfaan Ali and GWI officials addressed residents during recent meetings at Hururu and Bamboo Landing in Region Ten.
By Leonard Gildarie
Government has earmarked almost $400 million to take water to remote hinterland locations over the next few years.
And a call is being made for Guyanese to take “ownership” of various developmental projects underway ensuring that they are cared for and properly executed.
This challenge was thrown out on Thursday by Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, as he outlined several hinterland projects coming on stream from his ministry.
During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, the Minister announced that a pilot project in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and under the Second Low Income Settlements Project, will see 200 houses being built at a cost of $1 million each.
According to Ali, this particular project will target eight selected hinterland communities, and will be the first of its kind in terms of the low costing.
The paperwork process has already commenced to pave the way for the project to begin, with the time frame to complete it being between this year and 2013, the Minister assured.
With the expected interest and business to be generated with the recent opening of the Guyana/Brazil bridge at Takutu, preparations are already underway for infrastructural developmental works to commence next year at the Tabatinga Housing Scheme.
These works are to the tune of $191 million, according to projected figures.
However, projects on the hinterland communities are not done “willy-nilly”, the Minister noted, but rather in consultation with the various communities. A comprehensive Community Development Plan is on stream to be prepared and this will outline the immediate needs of the various communities.
Meanwhile, detailing some of the water projects for the hinterland, Minister Ali disclosed that almost 150 complete photovoltaic Pumping Units will be installed at a cost of $130 million.
In strategic locations, 120 overhead storage tanks/trestles will also be built to the tune of $250 million.
In the Lethem area, Region 9, some 20 deep wells costing some $16 million are also to be installed and an $8 million treatment facility is planned for Port Kaituma. Pump stations at Ituni, Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Mahdia, Lethem and Matthew’s Ridge are to be upgraded at a cost of around $30 million.
According to Ali, development of water supply systems in the interior is not without its challenges as access to some remote villages can limit work. Transportation costs and the rainy seasons all play a role in helping to delay the execution of projects and these factors all have to be taken into account when planning.
Yesterday, the Minister warned that various projects on stream cannot stand by themselves.
“It is critical that each village adopts a proactive approach to ensure that the development and implementation of all investments satisfy the needs of the community.”
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