Gov’t addressing water woes at Yarrowkabra, Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke

Residents of Yarrowkabra, Kuru Kururu and Soesdyke have been assured that their water issues will be resolved shortly, bringing relief to a number of households.

This assurance was given by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, who along with Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, conducted an outreach in the areas on Saturday.

The ministers were accompanied by Michelle Harrinaraine, Chairperson of the Lamaha/Yarrowkabra Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), and technical officers from Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).

In Kuru Kururu, approximately 20 residents living near the burial ground, are currently unable to get water access to their homes through the main system.  There is also a squatting area within the same constituency that has about 160 residents who are without a source of water supply.

Minister Croal said that a team will revisit the area to conduct a more thorough assessment of the situation and provide necessary solutions.

“We will have to do some reconnecting and re-running in terms of the line. So, we are looking at within a week to have this done,” he told the residents.

Regarding the squatting area, the minister clarified that there are certain challenges in delivering a permanent solution due to the lack of regularisation of the area.  Nevertheless, once plans for regularisation are in place, GWI will install standpipes to facilitate access for individuals.

Similar interventions will be made in the Yarrowkabra community. Minister Croal stated that GWI will explore providing tanks for water harvesting to offer immediate relief for the residents.

At Soesdyke, Minister Croal indicated that the section is catered for as part of plans to upgrade the treatment plants at Caledonia, Timehri, and Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara. These treatment plants will be linked to provide treated water and a more reliable supply to communities along that corridor.

Addressing the leakages in the area, the Housing and Water Minister assured that immediate action will be taken to rectify them.

Minister Croal explained that although the government has adopted a comprehensive approach to address water challenges along the Soesdyke Highway by drilling wells, many residents situated on the outskirts of the villages have been unable to access this resource.

“We have been doing a lot of work on the highway within especially the last 18 months and there is more drilling that are planned for those areas that are not receiving water,” the minister underscored.

Meanwhile, residents also raised concerns regarding the state of the road in Kuru Kururu.

Minister McCoy explained that the government has initiated a number of road projects in the area, and eventually, all the streets in the community will be addressed.

“So, we cannot do all of the roads at the same time. We will do some roads as we go along. So, there will be other phases,” he noted.

Chairperson Harrinaraine welcomed the interventions which will guarantee a better quality of life for the residents.

“We know that the government is working to bring relief to each and every Guyanese and I know this will be no different. I know the residents will benefit from the water supply,” she told the media.