The community of Baramita located in Barima-Waini, (Region One), will benefit from improved access to potable water as a new $25 million well is being drilled in the Carib community.
The new well, which is expected to be completed soon, will add to the existing water distribution system in the community and will see approximately 90 percent of central Baramita having access to potable water to their homes. Currently only 15 percent of the community has access to water.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, along with Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, Director of Hinterland Water, Ramchand Jailall and other regional officials visited the site where the well is being drilled by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) in the Matarkai sub-district.
“We started to drill the well and we weren’t successful, so we had to change the location and so, we have started there and within a matter of weeks that should be completed,” the minister said during his interaction with the residents at the Community Skills Training Centre.
He said his ministry has a mandate to ensure potable water is delivered to residents across the country, including the hinterland.
Currently, only 50 percent of communities across Region One has access to potable water. As a result, Minister Croal announced that five wells will be drilled in the Matarkai sub-district this year. In addition to the well at Baramita, water distribution systems are underway in Matthews Ridge, Arakaka, Port Kaituma and Oronoque.
Additionally, GWI recently acquired a PAT drilling rig to be utilised in hinterland and riverain areas. The utility company has plans to drill at least 30 new wells in 2022 and more than 140 wells over the next three years.
Meanwhile, Minister Croal took the opportunity to address a number of other issues affecting the community including; the need for Carib speaking teachers and the fencing of the primary school, and improved health care delivery. These matters will be directed to the relevant agencies, however, the regional administration has committed to constructing the school fence within a month.
He assured residents that greater attention will be placed on Baramita, since persons also raised concerns about the need for strong leadership within the community in order to address the many social ills plaguing the village.
“We have a responsibility to work together to provide the opportunities for the people and more importantly, the children who are the future generation,” Minister Croal emphasised.
Baramita is the largest Amerindian settlement in Guyana with a population of close to 4,000 people spread across the 22 satellite areas.