(Kaieteur News) – The National Assembly on Monday approved $496.3 million to establish Guyana’s first state-owned water bottling plant, a move that furthers President Irfaan Ali’s push for the country to achieve 100 percent locally produced bottled water.

The money, allocated under Guyana Water Inc.’s (GWI) coastal water supply services budget, will finance a facility aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on imported bottled water.

Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar announced the approval in a Facebook post on Tuesday, describing the plant as “a strategic national project that enhances Guyana’s economic resilience, self-sufficiency, and long-term water security.”