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The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation and Chairperson of the Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project (WASHAERP) Steering Committee, Hannah Isatta Sao-Kpato Macarthy, has commended Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) for the successful implementation of major water infrastructure projects.
The Minister made the remarks during an inspection tour of the Babadorie Raw Water Storage Facility at Regent and the Allen Town Water Treatment Plant, where she assessed the progress and operational readiness of the facilities ahead of their official launch and commissioning by President Julius Maada Bio.
Describing the projects as transformational, Minister McCarthy said they represent a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to improve access to safe and reliable drinking water for residents of the Western Area.
“The work being undertaken by Guma Valley Water Company is truly commendable,” she said. “Significant investments are being made by the Government, particularly in the Western Area, to ensure that safe and reliable water reaches communities that have long been underserved.”
The Minister noted that communities such as Allen Town, together with the mountain communities of Regent, Babadorie, Gloucester, Leicester, IMATT and Hill Station, have experienced water supply challenges for many years. She observed that the rehabilitation and expansion works would greatly improve water availability, particularly during the dry season, by increasing the system’s storage and treatment capacity and ensuring a more reliable supply of safe drinking water.
At the Babadorie Facility, the Minister received a comprehensive briefing on the rehabilitation works undertaken under the African Development Bank-led Freetown Water Supply and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project (WASHAERP). She was informed that the project has rehabilitated the existing circular raw water reservoir, increasing its storage capacity from 60,000 cubic metres to 72,000 cubic metres, while constructing nine new steel raw water storage tanks with a combined capacity of 60,000 cubic metres.
These investments have increased the total raw water storage capacity at the Babadorie Facility to approximately 132,000 cubic metres, providing a more reliable water supply to an estimated 90,000 residents in the mountain communities of Regent, Babadorie, Gloucester, Leicester, IMATT and Hill Station.
“This project is a major achievement. It contributes to the Government’s development agenda, advances the Ministry’s mandate and supports Guma Valley Water Company’s responsibility of providing potable water to the people of the Western Area,” she stated.
Reflecting on the visit, the Minister said the inspection had given her a greater appreciation of the complexity involved in producing safe drinking water.
“Water supply is much more than simply delivering water to people’s homes,” she remarked. “Today’s visit has enabled me to appreciate the entire process; from protecting the water source, transporting and treating the water, to ensuring that safe drinking water reaches consumers. It requires technical expertise, skilled engineers, dedicated technicians, and effective management.”
