Budget 2025: $10 billion to improve water quality across Guyana  

With treated water coverage moving from 52 per cent in 2020 to 62.3 per cent in 2024, the Guyana Government will be focusing on further advancing these efforts with the construction of 13 new water treatment plants.

“We’re advancing construction of 13 water treatment plants. And for those initiatives that target water quality, a sum of $10 billion is budgeted,” Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, stated during Friday’s presentation of the 2025 Budget which includes a whopping $23.1 billion for the water sector’s development in 2025 – an increase over the $22.7 billion in 2024.

Of these 13 new water treatment plants, seven are already on track to be operational in the first quarter of 2025 while construction of a new treatment plant will begin at Hope.

Additionally, 16 small water treatment plants will be installed at well stations across regions 2, 4, 5 and 6.

In 2024, works commenced on upgrading 12 existing water treatment plants along the coastland, eight of which are practically completed and the remaining four will be completed by the first quarter of this year.

Currently, access to potable water is at 98.3 per cent across the country, bolstered by the drilling of 22 wells in coastal and urban communities benefitting over 180,000 residents and installing transmission and distribution (T&D) networks for 106 coastal and urban communities benefitting over 150,000 residents.

In 2024 alone, new wells were completed at Bamia, Fellowship, Vergenoegen and Wales benefitting over 22,000 residents, and T&D networks were extended to unserved or underserved areas at Belle West, Belvedere, Lovely Lass, No. 12, No. 29, No. 46 and No. 57 villages and Perth.

In 2025, ongoing works on wells at Sophia and Timehri are scheduled to be completed and works on new wells will commence at No. 47 and 58 Villages while ongoing works on T&D mains at areas including Bachelors Adventure, Cummingsburg, Friendship, Mon Repos, Pouderoyen and Timehri are scheduled to be completed.

Additionally, access to water in the hinterland moved from 46 per cent in 2020 to 91 per cent in 2024 through the drilling of 130 wells in hinterland areas, along with some 102 communities receiving new and extended water distribution systems, benefitting over 40,000 residents.

In 2024 alone, 56 new wells were drilled at areas including Campbelltown, Falmouth, Hackney, Kamwatta, Lower Bonasika Creek, Mahdia, Pai Pang, Quebanang, Taushida and Wikki – Calcuni, benefitting over 10,000 residents, and 24 communities had water distribution systems installed at areas including Jawalla, Mabaruma Settlement, Marlborough, Santa Rosa and Tiperu benefitting over 8,000 residents.

In 2025, works will commence on wells in several areas including Baramita, Eyelash, Issano, Itabali, Kabakaburi and Red Hill, with the completion of works on water distribution systems at Caria Caria, Hobodiah, Monkey Mountain, St. Anselm and Tassawini.

Moreover, new water supply systems are slated for Arsawa, Barabina, Kangaruma, Karrau, Pennak, Phillipai, Thomas Hill and Tobago Hill for which a total sum of $2.2 billion has been allocated in 2025.

Meanwhile, Government has installed over 87,000 meters across the country since 2020 with 23,000 of them installed in 2024. This supported the reduction of non-revenue water from 69 per cent at the end of 2020 to 63 per cent at the end of 2024. An additional 30,000 meters will be installed in 2025.