Above: Linden

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Guyana has begun work on the $12.3 million Linden Water Supply and Rehabilitation Programme, a project funded through an Inter-American Development Bank Loan.

According to Programme Manager Omar Bissoon, the large-scale rehabilitation works will include the construction of two new water treatment plants at Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc in the next five years.

The agreement for the project was signed in July 2011.

“We are aware that the current system is not adequate due to its age and the growth of the town over the years,” Bissoon said. “But when new plants are fully operational, customers will enjoy a higher standard of treated water as they are designed to deliver water quality that fulfills World Health Organisation guidelines.”

The programme also includes a public education and community outreach component.

“The success of the LWSRP also depends on the willingness of GWI Linden customers to partner with us on water conservation, protecting freshwater resources and maintaining safe household water supply,” he said. “For customers to enjoy higher levels of service, they must avoid wastage.”

The new Wisroc Water Treatment Plant will use freshwater from the Dakoura Creek.

As many as 30,000 residents in Guyana’s Region 10 could benefit from the project.