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Kuru Kuru’s new water system opened

—pump driven by solar power

It took around 30 years for the residents in Kuru Kuru to experience the thrill of running water through a tap, but after an investment of $8.3M in a Solar Water System by the Rotary Club of Georgetown, the community and others this is now a reality.

The caretaker’s house carries eight solar panels on the roof to power the water pump.

According to information provided by the Rotary Club, the Kuru Kuru Water Project was designed to provide a source of water in the dry season so the population of some 300 would not have to transport water from the creek, a kilometer or more away. Its novel feature is that the system is solar powered.

President of the Rotary Club of Georgetown Aubrey Roberts in his address at the launching of the project said, “The Kuru Kuru village had several residential lots but only 70 households mainly due to the lack of a water distribution infrastructure readily accessible to the homes.” He explained that there were two creeks and a hand-pump that had been used by the community in the dry season, and rainwater harvesting was also practised by residents, although this was limited by the storage facility of the household. Food for the Poor had provided the community with a hand-pump several years ago, but it no longer works.

In a project overview, it was noted that Rotrary International had recognized there was a global demand for water in unserved communities around the world in 2004, and had challenged Rotary clubs to develop and implement water supply projects for deserving commuities.

Roberts told his audience: “Our club first conceptualized this project in September 2004 in collaboration with the New Highway Producers Co-op Society (NHPCS).

“This water system has a very low operating cost since it uses the abundant sunlight to produce the energy to power the variable speed motor that drives the water pump,” he explained, adding that it also used no batteries. As a consequence the pump works in the daytime only and the water is stored in 900 litre elevated storage tanks. This makes possible 24/7 access to water at 14 locations in the community, benefiting around 200 persons. The pump delivers a maximum flow of 45 litres per minute.

Attending the launching were Canadian High Commissioner Charles Court, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai (touted as one of the initiators of the project prior to her current ministerial appointment) along with community members and noted Rotarians like Stanley Ming. (Ming also pledged to assist the community with books for its library and offered to assist in setting one up if they did not have one.)
This project had several objectives, including to abstract and chlorinate 7200 gallons of water daily for drinking, cooking and bathing; to utilise alternative energy (solar energy) 12 hours per day for pumping the water; to install four hours (2000 gallons) of elevated storage and to construct a distribution pipe for serving twenty standpipes around the community.

The original estimate and proposal were circulated to the NHPCS and some Rotary Clubs in the US. Contributions came from the Rotary Clubs of Scottsville and Red Jacket – Rotary District 7120 and the Rotary District 7730 both of the US,

In addition the Rotary Foundation (TRF) made a grant matching the sum raised by the clubs, and remitted to the Rotary Club of Georgetown US$24,600 in February 2007.

Roberts said that their first challenge had been the increased project cost as a result of the introduction of the Value Added Tax. In August 2007, the construction of the storage and distribution systems began but the well-drilling and development took several months “and caused much anxiety to us all,” said Roberts, since the rehabilitation of an existing well had to stop because it was shallow and would not have supported the expanded system. The NHPCS then decided to finance the drilling of the new well with the support of the Rotary Club of Georgetown.

“We must, however, care and protect the system from vandalism and most importantly wastage.You must be constantly looking for leaks and report same,” Roberts told the residents.

Audreyanna Thomas, National Coordinator of the Water Supply and Sanitation Council (WSSCC) based in Geneva, Switzerland which is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that 1.1 billion or about 20% of the world’s population lacked access to safe water and 2.6 billion or about 40%, did not have access to adequate sanitation. A piped-water system in any community was one of the significant pillars of development.

“It means that women and children will spend less time collecting or fetching water. So that women could use the same time they were fetching water for income and development ventures and for spending more time with their children and family,” she said.

Improved access to water could automatically lead to improved sanitation and hygiene and generally improved health, said Thomas, who added that diarrhoea and other water related diseases in the community would be reduced.

Rotarian Kit Nascimento described the water project as “very unique,’ in that solar power was being used to power the well.

A 30-year resident, Pearl Bobb, referred to how the community had suffered for water, but that now “I see we can drink water from the pipe.”

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21 Responses to “Kuru Kuru’s new water system opened”

fitz-lawrence ben jnr
on September 8th, 2008 7:05 am

Guyana Land of many land of many waters still have water problems
Dreadful pity..

[Reply to this]
ella
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 8:46 am:
come on fitz you’re living in a country whose water supply is quite abundant as well, yet much of the water consumed is recycled, so don’t be so harsh on Guyana

[Reply to this]
gopie
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 3:36 pm:
CANADA… PRODUCER OF ICE APPLES FROM BR, COLUMBIA,AND STILL IMPORTING ICE APPLES……LIVE IN A COUNTRY AND YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU…GUYANA IS INDEED LAND OF MANY WATER….THAT DOSENT MEAN THAT ALL OF IT IS POTABLE…..AT LEAST THE GOVT. IS SUPPLING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE THAT WAS NEVER THERE……PURE WATER SUPPLY THROUGH AN ADVANCED& MODERN SOURCE………SOLAR POWER

[Reply to this]
darcman (IBGT4eva)
on September 8th, 2008 7:45 am

Impressive to learn of this upgrade, even more by a club. As I always say any progress is good progress. What I would like to know is does the government support this club in any way…
Since this and many other clubs have been improbving the life of people is communities.

[Reply to this]
Badlall
on September 8th, 2008 7:56 am

Oh no……. no govt footprints (interference) and it works ……..it is a blessing

[Reply to this]
Ankoko
on September 8th, 2008 8:47 am

Shows that when there is the will the ‘people’ can conceive and achieve without the help and interference of the Central Government. This is wonderful for a Community that has not seemed to have gotten much help from traditional sources!

[Reply to this]
tiger
on September 8th, 2008 10:35 am

This type of venture has proven to be very sucessful and should be studied more in Guyana, not only for those who can afford it but for poor Guyanese in outlying areas who struggle with water and electricity woes.

[Reply to this]
mackydog
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 2:38 pm:
is malcolmx going to say the same thing today again?

[Reply to this]
DRUGB
on September 8th, 2008 10:54 am

Apparently many people seem to think that the government has a never ending supply of money to provide services to every remote location in Guyana. In the US many homeowners in remote communities have the burden of drilling their own wells for potable water supply because it is not cost effective for local water utility companies to do so.

That being said, kudos to the Rotary club for expending this large sum of money to make the lives of our less fortunate a little bit easier.

[Reply to this]
colt45
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 1:12 pm:
These are typical Guyanese who grew up in an era where government dictated evreything including how they think.
All you hear from dem is wah! wah!! wah!!! govt nah do dis and govt nah do dat.

[Reply to this]
Joy Babb
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 2:44 pm:
The people you are referring to are the ones who cry the loudest. DON’T GENERALIZE. That statement is totally unfair.

[Reply to this]
Arnold
on September 8th, 2008 12:17 pm

Hats off to the Rotary Club!! for their generousity, a true “humanitarian gesture”….

Keep up your good works!!

[Reply to this]
cochore
on September 8th, 2008 1:06 pm

The PPP Gov’t of Guyana claims socialism as their governing style, where the gov’t is paramount and every national development flows to and fro through them. Similarly, the PNC regimes during the Burnham/Hoyte years employed the same paramountcy tatics for governing. This is what the Guyanese people are accustomed to.

Therefore, blaming the people for looking to the gov’t first is very unfair, given the existing system over the years in Guyana. Change that out-dated system of paramountcy and you’ll see the natural ingenuity of the Guyanese people surface. They will begin to do stuff for themselves and their communities like everybody else.

So put the blame where it truely belongs– The system of gov’t and not the people.

[Reply to this]
colt45
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 4:55 pm:
Cochore, paramountcy and socialism were Burnham type of governance, not today’s.

[Reply to this]
Light
on September 8th, 2008 2:31 pm

Congratulations to everyone involved, for this wonderful project which should be emulated by other organisations and individuals .
The Amerindian Affairs minister Ms. Pauline Sukhai should pursue establishing similar projects in other communities of the interior, especially, the one in which three children were burnt to death, in a school facility, largely due to government’s negligence and mismanagement.
Many other poor and vulnerable communities and individuals, needs skill training, micro and medium businesses - and the loans, land, a quantity of goats, pigs, ducks or a piece equipment, machinery etc; to help lift these individuals and communities from economic insecurity and desperation.
This will help teach poor and vulnerable individuals and communities to provide for themselves, instead, of constantly ‘ giving them a fish ‘ - perpetuating their dependency on charity and government handouts.
Hopefully, the Rotary and similar organisations, religious, NGO’s etc; can target poverty reduction and elimination, as one of the main goals in their work.
This will help bring about significant change and social stability, which is in great demand, at the grassroot level of the society.
Kudos again to the Rotary Club and everyone invoved, for this ‘ solid ‘ help to the needy community !

[Reply to this]
gtbeat
In reply to the above comment on September 8th, 2008 8:51 pm:
Hey Light, this is community of not just children, there are adults who failed to supervise,the Govt. didn’t light the candles that caused this tragedy and they can’t hand feed every mouth and wipe every behind.
So in closing, you need to lighten up.

[Reply to this]
joy Babb
on September 8th, 2008 2:38 pm

I would like to correct the name of the 30 year resident to Pearl Babb of Kuru Kuru

[Reply to this]
briantee
on September 8th, 2008 5:53 pm

Sad to kno that the gov/t is unable to meet the needs of the people and when that happens the gov’t is not effective.
Hats off to the rotary club

[Reply to this]
Kumar Persaud
on September 8th, 2008 6:28 pm

A very viable option with renewable energy. I was trained in this technology at UG, a very big potential in Guyana.

What potential unrealise we have.

[Reply to this]
Sydney
on September 8th, 2008 8:05 pm

Congratulations to the Rotary club, great job. But did I read corrrectly, did they have to pay VAT? Shame on the government.

[Reply to this]
Brent
on September 8th, 2008 8:09 pm

Our God is a mighty God.
Let everthing that hath breath praise the Lord!

[Reply to this]