…Short term intervention to be given priority in the upcoming budget

Upon completion of his first l visit to villages within the Mabaruma Sub-District, Region 1, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal committed to short term interventions and a needs assessment exercise which will guide plans for safe water delivery.

The Minister, along with GWI’s Hinterland Service Director, Ramchand Jailall, other engineers, and Regional Officials visited pump stations and water sources in the district. The pump stations visited include; White Water, Wauna, Wanaina, Barabina, Mabaruma, and the Hosororo and Khan’s Hill Water Source.

Already a team of engineers has commenced visits to several satellite villages in the Sub-District to come up with a comprehensive plan to improve service delivery. In instances where there is no service, the data collected will shape plans to bring services to those communities and also give guidance on what is required to improve existing systems.

Throughout the visit, the common issue of insufficient water supply to the residents within the service area was raised. Residents complained of a breakdown in communication as it relates to the distribution schedule between the Water Inc. and Regional Officials, at the perils of their day to day activities being disrupted.

Also, the poor quality of fuel supplied to the Wanaina Pump Station has caused damages to the pump resulting in downtime which has adversely affected the supply of water to neighboring Wauna and some sections of Hosororo.

Short term Interventions

Underscoring the importance of safe water delivery, Minister reminded residents this critical service has become even more a necessity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such the issues of poor water supply to schools, health Centre and residents need to be addressed forthwith.

In his response to the issue of the smooth flow of accurate information relating to the distribution schedule, Minister Croal called for greater inter-agency collaboration which will aid in better services to the communities and its people. Moving forward, a representative from GWI will be attending the Regional Democratic Council’s sub-committee meeting to ensure a better flow of information. Also, the distribution schedule and changes to that, if any should arise, will be shared with regional officials, constituency Reps. and will be broadcasted on Radio Mabaruma promptly so that residents can be better informed and prepared.

Speaking to the issue of short term intervention, Minister Croal assured residents of White Water, that the newly dug well in their community will be operational within the next three weeks. This well will serve some percent of households with potable water. Given the geographical layout of the remaining 40 percent of the community, the needs assessment data will guide what is required.

Over at Wauna, immediate efforts will be made to increase the number of days; water is supplied to that community. The village of Wauna gets its water supply from the Wanaina Pump Station and this is done three days a week. Moving forward water is expected to be pumped every other day. This decision was made, as Minister Croal, committed to addressing the issue of the quality of fuel used at the pump station. By examining and changing the quality of fuel used on that pump, downtime for repairs will automatically be reduced.

As part of the long-term plan, Minister said Wauna will be outfitted with a well, thus reducing the dependency on the Wanaina Pump which also supplies other satellite villages.

At Barabina, within the new month, an additional 10 households will for the first time, be accessing potable water as there will be an extension to the network on the existing system.

Meanwhile, plans are underway for the expansion to the existing spring at Mabaruma which currently serves several satellite villages. With the expansion of the spring and installation of a new pumping system, residents will see an increase in distribution hours. In addition to the existing system on Central Mabaruma, another spring is being looked at in the Mabaruma Settlement area. Providing that the spring can produce an adequate supply of water, a system will be established to serve surrounding villages. This news system will translate into more villages being able to access potable water and an increase in service delivery for those dependent on the existing Mabaruma pump.

While these interventions will bring solutions to some of the issues facing residents, Minister Croal has committed to a comprehensive and inclusive approach in dealing with service delivery for all.