Over 3,000 residents in nine villages in the Belize River Valley now have 24/7 access to potable water thanks to the newly constructed Belize River Valley rural water system. The project was funded through a loan of USD3.48 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to the Government of Belize (GOB), with additional contributions of USD404,534 and USD100,256 from GOB and Belize Water Service Limited, respectively. Inaugurated on June 10, 2015 the Belize River Valley Rural Water Project was designed and installed to provide potable water to the villages of: Scotland Halfmoon, Flowers Bank, Bermudian Landing, Isabella Bank, Lemonal, Doublehead Cabbage, St. Paul's Bank, Willows Bank, and Rancho Dolores. CDB's Andrew Dupigny, Director, Projects Department (Ag) noted, "The primary mandate of the CDB is to systematically reduce poverty in our borrowing member countries through social and economic development. Through the provision of basic amenities such as portable water, we aim to fuel the creation of enabling environments which can act as drivers toward development and economic growth. In this case, time previously spent fetching and storing water by adults, can now be utilised for other productive activities. There is also a reduced risk of water and food borne diseases and infections." The Belize River Valley Rural Water Project included the installation of approximately 70 kilometres of transmission, primary and secondary distribution pipelines; service connections to 641 households and the Construction of three pumping stations, one each at Scotland Halfmoon, Lemonal and Rancho Dolores; each of these with a 50,000 US gallon concrete ground reservoir and a pump station. CAPTION: Let the water flow. (L-R) Minister of State, Ministry of Works and Transport and Area Representative, Belize Rural North, Honourable Edmond Castro; Chairman of the Belize Water Services, Alberto August; Minister of Rural Development, Honourable Godwin Hulse and Andrew Dupigny, Director, Projects Department (Ag), Caribbean Development Bank. Image credit: Breaking Belize News