[3] JMP figures define basic sanitation as facilities that are designed to hygienically separate excreta from human contact and are not shared among other households.

Groundwater, which consists of three distinct aquifers, provides about 90% of the domestic water needs of the country.

[9] In 1994 GS&WC was made an autonomous public sector institution under the control of the Minister of Works and Communications through the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Amendment Act Number 4.

Specifically it aimed to achieve: (i) a modern, efficient, and customer-oriented utility; (ii) long-term financial sustainability; and (iii) an institutional framework characterized by independent regulatory functions and a clear division of responsibilities.

Furthermore, the mandate of the existing Public Utility Commission (PUC) was extended to review water tariffs.

Minister of Housing and Water Harry Narine Nawbatt said that the decision was influenced by the results of an audit into STWI's performance carried out by the consulting firm Halcrow.

According to the Minister, four out of the five missed targets were:[11] STWI, however, pointed out a number of achievements during the four years it operated in Guyana: "significant improvements in water quality"; an alleged reduction of non-revenue water from 61% to 44% (a figure that is in contradiction with what the government says was the result of the audit); an alleged increase in hours of water supplied and system pressure by more than 80%; an alleged increase in revenues from G$ 900m 2002 to G$1.7bn in 2006; the introduction of a customer information and billing system; and emergency supplies during the 2005 floods.

STWI also pointed out several factors beyond its control that made it difficult to achieve its contractual targets: a disastrous flood in 2005; energy costs increasing by over 40%; the difficulty of recruiting and retaining qualified Guyanese staff; and the lack of timely government approval of investment programs and of the appointment of key Guyanese staff.

[13] In December 2007 the government approved a Turnaround Plan for GWI, focusing on reducing non-revenue water and financially consolidating the utility.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a multi-sectoral regulatory body, is in charge of reviewing water and sewer tariffs.

Outside Georgetown these customers were charged a flat rate of 8,899 Guyanese dollar (US$47) per year, equivalent to US$3.90 per month.

In addition, due to the political sensitivity of water tariffs, any modification de facto also needs to be approved by Cabinet.

The investments are intended to be used primarily to reduce non-revenue water and to rehabilitate the sewerage system in Georgetown.

US$6.4 million (30%) of the investment program is being funded from existing commitments from three donors (the World Bank, IDB and DFID).

In the past USAID was also involved in supporting water supply in Guyana, particularly in the coastal area outside of Georgetown.

The Georgetown II Water Supply & Sewer System Program was a US$30m project approved in 1999 that aimed "to improve sanitary conditions in Georgetown and reduce current levels of environmental degradation by improving the quality of the water supply and sewerage services".

The three program components were: (a) further improving the availability and quality of potable water and the reliability of the distribution system; (b) improving the sewerage system; and (c) strengthening the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners (GS&WC), the service provider for Georgetown at the time of the project's approval and one of the two predecessors of GWI.

[16] The UK approved a 13 million Pound Sterling water sector program in 2000, aiming at "providing sustainable universal access to safe and affordable water, focusing on peri-urban and rural areas, secondary towns and the Guyana hinterland."

The introduction of private sector participation through a performance based management contract was considered "a key feature of the process" and "a critical success factor in achieving the overall project goal".

The Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), provided a grant of US$12m to finance the construction of two water treatment plants and associated pipes in the Corriverton area on the coast near the border with Suriname.