New water treatment plant to end years of hardship for Bartica residents

For years, hundreds of residents from Four Miles to Five Miles in Bartica, Region Seven, have faced daily struggles to access clean, treated water. That hardship is finally coming to an end.

A new $458.1 million water treatment plant, now halfway completed, is on track to be finished by September 2025. Once operational, it will supply thousands of residents in Bartica, the West Indian Housing Scheme and surrounding areas with reliable, treated water.

“We’re tapping into a freshwater source as opposed to if we had to drill a well,” Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal said during a site visit to the facility last Friday.

“It is not going to be one of those large treatment plants, but it is one that is sufficient for this area,” he said.

The long-awaited project will end the issue of high iron content, providing a consistent supply of clean water on a 24-hour basis.

Once completed, the facility will be capable of treating 3.0 million litres per day, thereby enhancing water quality for numerous households. The contractor for the treatment plant is Toshiba Water Solutions America Inc.

This project aligns with the government’s deliberate countrywide investments in water quality and accessibility, aimed at attaining 100 per cent access to treated water by the end of 2025.

A reliable supply of potable water is also on the horizon for almost 1,500 residents from Amakokopai and Phillipai. A new $50 million well is under construction in Phillipai, and it is scheduled to be completed in July.

The PPP/C administration has invested more than $1.2 billion to increase access to potable water coverage across the region.

Since coming to office in 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Water has completed water plants in Kurutuku, Kamarang, Jawalla, Kako, Bartica, Tasserene, Kaikan, Dagg Point, and Isseneru, among other communities. [Department of Public Information]