-by Kyler Rollins

More than 9,000 students and teachers across Region Six now have access to purified drinking water, following the installation of systems at 19 secondary schools and TVET institutions.

The systems were installed under Project FLOW, aimed at improving access to safe drinking water while reducing reliance on plastic bottles.

The initiative, implemented through Recover Guyana, the Greater Guyana Initiative and the Ministry of Education, was commissioned at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School.

Education Minister Sonia Parag says the project is particularly timely as Guyana experiences hotter conditions associated with El Niño.

She says access to chilled, purified water will help keep students hydrated while reducing spending on bottled water and plastic waste.

“In an environment that is constantly changing because of climate change and the heat that we are facing right now heading into El Nino, we’re having cold water too. We’re having not just clean water but cold water. So, it just gives you the opportunity to have that but it also teaches you the responsibility and it will give you something you’re possibly not getting somewhere else,” the minister said.

ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge says the initiative also demonstrates how Guyana’s natural resources can support sustainable development.

“What is being realized from the resources of your country will translate into sustainable, diverse development for the country in the future. Because as we know, natural resources are finite but they are wonderful, they’re a gift. But it’s how your country uses them and how society uses them,” he said.
Students and teachers have welcomed the new systems, which are expected to provide a more reliable source of drinking water while promoting healthier and more environmentally friendly schools.