–GWI records sharp drop from 80 per cent to 49 per cent in six months

WATER wastage in Parika and several surrounding communities in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) has seen a sharp decline, thanks to the combined efforts of residents and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
At the commissioning of the $850 million new water treatment plant in the community, on Wednesday, GWI’s Head Shaik Baksh reported that water losses, also known as non-revenue water, have dropped from 80 per cent to 49 per cent over six months.

“I must commend the residents of Parika and surrounding areas, because the GWI team visited house to house and we encourage them to conserve water and not to waste it. The water losses here were 80 per cent six months ago, and this week the water losses were reduced to 49 per cent,” he said.
Baksh explained that these efforts are a part of a broader initiative which has been undertaken by GWI and the government to increase the treated water coverage to 90 per cent.
Already, the government is constructing seven new, larger water treatment plants and eighteen small plants, upgrading twelve existing plants and installing 200 kilometres of transmission mains to improve water quality.
According to Baksh, the newly commissioned plant at Parika is one of three new facilities that have been constructed in the region. While the plant has the capacity to treat five million litres of water per day, continued efforts to save water will see residents being able to have a reliable and sustainable water supply.
“We need to bring down the water losses to ensure the sustainability of the level of water service,” Baksh pointed out.
He further outlined the government’s future plans to continue improving water services, including balancing the network and ensuring a high-pressure water supply.
These projects, including the newly commissioned plant at Parika, are equipped with advanced filtration systems that reduce iron levels to meet international standards. The improvements aim to deliver clearer, safer water to communities long affected by a discoloured and poor-quality supply.
GWI’s continued investments in infrastructure are focused on ensuring consistent access to clean water that meets both health and quality benchmarks. These plants will essentially remove the iron content from the water supply, which is required for potable or drinking use to have an iron concentration of below 0.03 mg/L of iron.
The new plant is delivering a water supply with a concentration of 0.01 mg/litres.
In addition to this, the government plans to revamp the mandate of GWI, making it more agile and reactive to ensure that citizens across the country have access to a clean water supply.
The government in the past four years, invested over $65 billion in the water sector, increasing countrywide access to about 98.3 per cent of the population.