– upon completing will serve 27,000 households along ECD
The Government of Guyana, in its efforts to improve water access for citizens across the country, is working assiduously to establish the Hope Canal as a water reservoir for the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
This was revealed by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, who provided an update on the project during a telephone interview with this publication.
According to Croal, the feasibility study for the Hope Canal has already been completed and the next step is to source funding for the project, which is estimated to cost some €55 million.
“The proposed budget we’re looking at is €55 million. So, we’ve done some initial studies and we have presented that proposal for funding.”
The Minister noted that “We have done the feasibility study to explore there [the Hope Canal] as a source [of water]. We’re looking to utilise there to service a population of about 27,000 persons that lies between De Hoop and Haslington which will include Cane View, and we’re trying to design and supply 24,000 cubic metres a day, long-term within the next…15 years.”
Studies for the Hope Canal began in 2022 to determine whether the water captured at the Hope Canal facility can be treated to be used as a sustainable source to serve the ECD corridor. It was noted that this initiative to reuse the Hope Canal water is necessary, as Guyana confronts climate change as well as responds to the growing demands for more service connections.
In fact, President Dr Irfaan Ali during his feature address at an event last March noted that, “We dump tens of thousands of gallons of water from the Hope Canal into the Atlantic. So, one of the projects that we’re currently doing is examining the feasibility of converting that water and treating that water so that it can meet the demand on the East Coast.
This project is also part of the Government’s plans to provide 100 per cent access to treated water on the coast by 2025. (Tassia Dickenson)
