“Fix the taps first”…opposition slams Govt’s $496M bottling plant while dirty water runs in Guyanese homes

Aug 10, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) Leader of the ALP Simona Broomes and Member of Parliament Saiku Andrews are demanding the immediate suspension of a GY$496.3M state-owned water bottling plant under Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), noting the funds must be urgently redirected to failing municipal water systems. The joint outcry centers the government’s latest infrastructure allocation as a direct threat to the local private sector and a distraction from GWI’s core mandate to provide safe tap water.

Broomes condemned the initiative as an expensive workaround that shifts the state’s responsibility to consumers while expanding dependence on disposable plastics and PFAS chemicals. Referencing the Public Utilities Commission’s 2025 Annual Report released in June 2026, Broomes noted that treatment plants in Amelia’s Ward, Wisroc, McKenzie, Grove, and Bartica are currently operating outside World Health Organisation’s safety ranges. The ALP leader is demanding the government table a “Safe Tap Water Plan” within 60 days, freeze all spending on the bottling project, and publish full procurement details to reveal who stands to profit from the diverted coastal water supply budget.

MP Saiku Andrews immediately labelled the initiative a betrayal of GWI’s core purpose and “bad economic policy dressed up as national vision.” Andrews emphasised that the government should empower local businesses through investment incentives and duty-free concessions rather than establishing a state-owned rival to compete on an uneven playing field. He likened the venture to the Marriott Hotel project, suggesting it could be a plot to use taxpayer funds for capital investment before selling the profitable operation below market value. Andrews pointed to residents in South Ruimveldt North who are still receiving discolored tap water as proof of the utility’s misplaced priorities.

The opposition’s stance is bolstered by data from MP Ganesh Mahipaul, who revealed that imported bottled water accounts for merely 2.9% to 4.8% of the total monthly supply, with local private manufacturers already satisfying over 95% of the market. The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has similarly warned that state intervention could crush existing private investments.

Defending the $496.3M allocation, Minister of Public Utilities Deodat Indar met with private sector stakeholders to assure them the state does not intend to compete with local businesses. The project advances President Irfaan Ali’s February directive to completely eliminate imported bottled water within 12 months, utilising GWI’s resources to reportedly lower retail prices to $100 or less per bottle.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

ALP Leader, APNU MP, Leader of the ALP Simona Broomes and Member of Parliament Saiku Andrews, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul, Saiku Andrews, Simona Broomes

Latest News