Housing Minister Irfaan Ali urged residents to be responsible and act as guardians of the new facility, while noting that the new station is part of a $1.1B investment that commenced in 2002 towards improvement of the sewerage systems. This is the second station to be commissioned recently. Last August, the Tucville station was rehabilitated.
Minister Ali in his feature address noted that the system had outgrown its capacity and a massive overhaul was decided upon in 2002 to meet the basic requirements today.
Meanwhile, Ali stated that a comprehensive project document and assessment of the sewerage system will be done this year.
Focus will be on the updating of the master plan to a more contemporary model of sewerage systems, which will be the latest used in the world. Also, he said that evaluation of the future needs, requirements, trends, threats and opportunities such as the option of treating and converting waste to energy.
However, Ali cautioned against abusing the system, saying that the facilities will yield no improvements if customers continue to dump garbage and other harmful materials into the systems. The Minister assured that regulations will be enacted and soon business that are found in violation of the system will be prosecuted.
He then commended the workers of GWI, saying that they are “some of the best young and most talented workers in Guyana.”
Meanwhile, echoing the Minister’s caution, Chief Executive of GWI Yuri Chandisingh highlighted that one of the major challenges the utility company faces is the abuse of the system. He said that they are forging partnerships with stakeholders and working with businesses, especially eating houses and hotels who were found to be “tremendous” violators.
While some of the businesses have taken steps to correct their wrongs, Chandisingh said that he was pleased to announce that criminal charges and legal action will be taken against the defaulters who do not make the necessary corrections.
Singh said that we are custodians of the system and pointed out that public education of the proper use of the system will be undertaken.
Meanwhile, also calling for education of the citizenry on proper use of the system was Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, who said, “The need for these pumps was long overdue.”
While he complimented GWI for “an excellent job,” Green appealed to citizens not to misuse the facilities. “Use the facilities as is intended, with care and concern,” he said.
Sewage Pump Station W forms part of the Georgetown Water Supply and Sewage Programme II, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.
The programme seeks to significantly enhance the sanitation system in Georgetown with 24 pump stations selected to be rehabilitated.
Approximately 10,500 residents are expected to benefit from the Sewage Rehabili-tation Project. While the completion of the 24 sewage pumps stations are anticipated to have the system functioning at full efficiency, eliminating the hazardous sewage overflows that affect the residents and commercial sector.
