A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is questioning the condition and performance of coastal water-treatment facilities at Perseverance and Calcutta, calling on Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to disclose whether the installations are functioning as intended and delivering the services promised to residents.
In a press statement issued on Friday, October 23, the coalition raised concerns about the facilities following visits by its representatives, including Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan, and called for technical records to establish their operational status.
The concerns come as Budget 2026 allocates $21.6 billion to the water sector, including $8.2 billion for expanding treated-water coverage. Planned investments include the Hope and Diamond treatment plants and upgrades to the Shelterbelt facility in Georgetown.
“Announcements and expenditure cannot substitute for functioning infrastructure and reliable service,” APNU stated.
At Perseverance, the coalition said its representatives examined the treatment equipment and questioned whether the filtration system was operating properly. They also raised concerns about maintenance and water quality.
APNU called for GWI to provide the facility’s operational status, maintenance history and recent water-quality results, including tests conducted before and after treatment.
“Residents should not have to rely on competing assurances when the evidence can be made public,” the statement said.
At Calcutta, APNU said its representatives examined a treatment installation opposite the well station and observed what appeared to be unfinished connections, damaged fittings and missing equipment.
The coalition also raised allegations that the system had been tested, failed and subsequently abandoned, with equipment reportedly transferred elsewhere. It called for these claims to be addressed through commissioning records, equipment inventories and project documentation.
APNU stressed that the treatment installation must be assessed separately from the well station, since the existence of a functioning well would not, by itself, account for the investment in treatment infrastructure.
The coalition urged GWI and the responsible ministry to publish a site-by-site account of the coastal inline water-treatment programme, including contractors, contract values, payments, completion dates, testing results and current operational status. It said any identified defects or incomplete works should be accompanied by details of corrective action and responsibility for repairs.
The statement also questioned government priorities amid plans to sell treated bottled water, arguing that reliable household water supplies should remain central to the sector’s investment programme.
APNU said residents of Perseverance, Calcutta and other coastal communities deserve functioning treatment systems and measurable improvements from public spending.
