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February 22, 2026
February 21, 2026
A $468 million water treatment plant commissioned on Saturday at Five Miles, Bartica, is expected to serve about 6,000 residents from Four to Seven Miles as the town’s demand for treated water grows.
The facility, located along the Bartica/Potaro Road, is the first treatment plant in the area to use surface water drawn from a nearby stream. It is designed to support expanding housing and commercial activity.
President Dr Irfaan Ali, who commissioned the plant, said the facility was built to meet medium-term demand while allowing for future expansion.
“In every aspect of development, we try, as far as possible, to ensure at least the medium-term demand is satisfied with that investment. We cannot sit and wait. We have to plan continuously ahead of time,” he said at the ceremony.
New treatment facilities are being constructed with modular systems that allow capacity to be increased without dismantling existing infrastructure, the president added, noting that Bartica is expected to see growth in housing, healthcare, aviation, and commercial activity over the next five years.
The Five Miles facility forms part of the government’s $40 billion Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme, which aims to expand treated water coverage to 90 per cent by 2026. The programme is being implemented by Guyana Water Incorporated.
Under the programme’s first phase, seven large treatment plants and 15 smaller plants were completed, 12 facilities were upgraded, and about 200 kilometres of transmission mains were installed across Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven.
Seven additional plants are under construction in the programme’s second phase, including facilities at Maria’s Delight, Wakenaam, Leguan, Hope, Bath, Adventure, and Five Miles.
The Five Miles plant was constructed by Toshiba Water Solutions Inc at a cost of $468 million.
Supporting works, including the water catchment system, pumping station, and transmission pipeline, cost $68 million. A reinforced concrete access road to the catchment and pumping station will be built at a cost of $71 million.
The project is being financed through the government’s Public Sector Investment Programme to support expanding housing developments at Five and Seven Miles and to improve service to residents at Four Miles.
President Ali said Region Seven had received billions of dollars in investments between 2020 and 2025, including housing infrastructure, road rehabilitation, renewable energy projects, and a new $7.5 billion regional hospital in Bartica.
He said water services had been expanded without tariff increases, noting that the government reduced water rates by five per cent and restored subsidies for senior citizens and pensioners.
Looking ahead, he said the water sector strategy for 2026–2030 will expand to include wastewater management and modern sewage systems, beginning in Georgetown and integrating planning with new housing developments nationwide. (Reworked from DPI)
President Dr Irfaan Ali
