Santa Cruz Awaits Safe Water as Project Site Overrun by Bushes

By Mark DaCosta- Residents of Santa Cruz in Region One are still waiting for a promised safe-water system, with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan reporting that equipment and infrastructure intended to deliver the project remain unattended and disconnected. The situation has renewed questions about why a water project first identified for the community years ago has yet to produce the basic service residents were promised.

In a statement issued on September 12, Duncan reported that during a recent visit to the area, he observed what he described as an “unattended and abandoned” water-supply installation with “no functioning, connected” system.

The timeline of official announcements highlights a delay between planning and execution. Santa Cruz was shortlisted by Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for well drilling in 2022, following a November 2021 announcement. The Ministry of Finance’s 2024 Mid-Year Report projected drilling completion for the second half of that year, and in January 2025, then-Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal named Santa Cruz for a new water-supply system.