Access to potable water is now a dream come through for some residents of Moblissa, situated on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, following the realization of a promise made by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues in January.
The Minister visited the community as part of a Presidential outreach to Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region 10), where she heard of the water woes they were experiencing for a number of years.
Today, she returned to the community to re-commission a Water Supply System that has been dormant.
During the small but significant re-commissioning ceremony, Minister Rodrigues indicated that in excess of 20 households now have water access on a 24 hour basis within close proximity to their homes. Previously, some residents had to walk a total of 40 minutes back and forth to fetch water.
The Minister told residents that she first became aware of their plight during elections campaign and was delighted to be a part of the presidential outreach to address their concerns. Following her official visit as Minister, she reached out to GWI’s CEO, Mr. Shaik Baksh to assess the works that needed to be undertaken, which resulted in today’s re-commissioning.
The Housing and Water Minister explained too that because the households are scattered within the community, it is difficult and quite costly to install a distribution network and individual service connections. Nevertheless, it has not been ruled out and will be looked at in the future.
The water supply system, which was rehabilitated at a cost of $1.5M included the procurement and installation of two 1000-gallon storage tanks, a photovoltaic system and stand pipes. The facility will serve as a central location for residents to access potable water, bringing much needed relief to community members.
The beneficiaries related their gratitude to the Minister and GWI for listening and responding to their needs.
The well was drilled in 2009 by the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP Project) but became inoperable overtime. The previous government had embarked upon remedying the technical issues in 2017 but failed to complete the works.
Future improvement plans entail the drilling of a new well and the installation of a distribution network later this year to provide water access for the Health Center, Primary School, and nearby residents.
