Course to monitor water systems in Region Nine

UPPER TAKUTU/UPPER ESSEQUIBO (REGION NINE) RESIDENTS will be coursed to
monitor water supply systems in their respective communities Housing and Water Minister Colin
Croal recently disclosed.
Minister Croal said the training programme will commence next month and will include a
number of specialised areas including monitoring and maintenance to help create a more
coordinated approach by the ministry in the sprawling hinterland communities.
He said the training is part of government’s commitment to the United Nation Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) Six of the global body’s 17 goals. SDG Six envisions access of
potable water and sanitation for all.
“So that we do not have situations where the water system is down for one reason or the other,
we do not get that information and then a few days passed…someone writes about it and that is
how you know about it,” Croal told Region Nine residents during a recent visit.
The government minister said two villages were unable to access potable water for some time.
“I believe that two villages had raised that they had lightning destroy the system because of the
solar, and so it affected their water [supply]. We will change that within a week and have those
repairs done,” he promised.
He continued, “That is our intention to train persons from every village who will have that
responsibility in terms of water and that is good because it also creates employment
opportunities.”
Trained residents would handle rudimentary issues while the regional technical team will address
all complicated matters. Croal said the Housing and Water Ministry has begun drilling several
new wells in the region to help expand and improve the vital service.
“All communities in Region Nine can look forward to us constantly improving their water
service…   quite a bit of money has been spent in Region Nine to drill new wells and it is an

ongoing process. We have even just completed at St. Ignatius, a $20M project for the distribution
of water within that village to provide for everyone,” he declared.
In this year’s national budget there is $844M to increase treated water coverage and modernise
sanitation facilities among other infrastructural projects countrywide. Among the fiscal estimates
some $344M has been earmarked for the Hinterland Water Supply programme.