New $1.3B Cummings Lodge water treatment plant commissioned

Oct 19, 2025 News

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(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali on Saturday commissioned the $1.3B Cummings Lodge water treatment plant, the sixth such facility for the year.

The construction of the water facility, which was executed through the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), falls under the agency’s Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme, and is one of three plants to be built in Region Four.

The water facility was constructed by Sigma Engineers Limited and was designed to treat 12 million litres per day (mld).

In his address, President Ali stated that water is not just a utility but life itself.

“It is what keeps us and our children healthy, our farms fertile and our industries alive. It is indispensable, we use it for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning, bathing and farming, we use it to build our homes, to power industries, to grow our food and to sustain our lives. Water is the silent partner in everything we do,” he elaborated.

The president said that while rain water is free, the provision of potable water comes at a very high cost. This, he noted, is a product of planning, technology, skilled work, and of billions in investment.

He stated that within the last five years, the government spent more than $51 billion in capital works for the water sector. “That is roughly $69,000 spent on every man, woman and child so as to ensure that the water flowing through your tap is clean, reliable and safe,” he added.

Over the last five years, he noted that there has been an unprecedented transformation in Guyana’s water sector and that the national access to portable water has now reach 98.4% of the population, making it one of the highest in the Caribbean.

Notably, the President said that in hinterland and riverine areas, the access has doubled to approximately 92% and is projected to get to 96% by next year.

Speaking on some of the works done, the Head-of-State related that GWI has drilled 152 new wells between 2020 and 2024, most of them in the hinterland regions, and they have laid 200km of new transmission and distribution mains, expanding supply to thousands of homes.

“We have built seven new large treatment plants, upgraded 13 others and constructed 18 small community treatment systems together bringing treated water to more than 250,000 Guyanese for the first time,” he stated.

He said the provision of the facilities is not just about access but about quality and reliability also. “Customer service, respect for people and the way in which we treat people is critical to the success of the water sector and we will not tolerate the mistreatment of our people or the inefficient management of our system. We are investing too much money to have that type of behaviour be the bottleneck of this sector,” he mentioned.

Noting that the government will never walk away from its duty to provide safe, reliable and affordable water for all Guyanese, he also called on citizens to do their part. “I urge you, save water, use it wisely and protect this investment because when we conserve water, we conserve our future,” he urged the public.

Further, President Ali said that the government will continue to expand access to 100 per cent treated water.

“We will continue to make the invisible visible, to turn rain into running water and to transform that flow into the life blood of national development,” he said.

Meanwhile, GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sheik Baksh said that the Cummings Lodge treatment plant which is located in the new Cummings Lodge Housing Scheme area will serve several communities including: Cummings Lodge, Cumming Park, North and South Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Lamaha Springs, Lamaha Park and Stevedore Scheme.

According to Baksh, residents of all of the identified areas are receiving higher water.

While the treatment plant was constructed at a cost of $1.2 billion, Baksh explained that in addition to that, the transmission systems to connect to the network, and drilling of three wells (two of which are currently drilling), the total investment to have the plant operationalised stands at $2.2 billion.

“This is a state-of-the-art facility fully automated, backwash facilities including four high efficiency booster pumps are available here to ensure stable supply of water with variable frequency mode which means that it will respond to the demand for water,” the GWI official stated.

According to him, with some 60 new housing schemes opening up across the country, GWI will continue to do its part in ensuring residents have access to safe, clean and reliable water supply.

“We have new development taking place, nearly 60 new housing schemes across the country and this poses a problem to us and (because) we would have to plan and plan again to ensure we cater to this development and that persons who are moving into these new areas benefit from access to water and treated water. The water sector is very important and this is being recognized, it ensures the upliftment of the population, better standard of living and the quality of life,” the CEO related.

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• Cummings Lodge, Guyana Water Inc., President Irfaan Ali, Water Treatment, Water Treatment Plant

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