Guyana Water Inc. responds to allegations

Nov 24, 2008 News

CHESNEY VILLAGE , CORENTYNE – Officials at the Guyana Water Inc on the Corentyne continue to blame the Guyana Power and Light for a sporadic water supply.

On Friday, Divisional Manager Chris Cathro, speaking from his Chesney, Corentyne office, acknowledged that at present the level of service offered to residents in some areas is below the norm.

He explained that a number of pumps were damaged as a result of the service given by the Guyana Power and Light.

Recently, power disruption-damage to pumps was recorded at Edinburgh, Number Fifty-Seven Village, Letter Kenny, Adventure, Eversham and Crabwood Creek on the Corentyne and at Cumberland and Sheet Anchor in East Canje and other communities.

A final cost is yet to be arrived at since the situation is a recurring one. The Divisional Manager said, “Given the circumstances we are trying to help the customers.”

The pump at Edinburgh was damaged and since there was no replacement, the one from the well at Number Sixty-Three Village had to be taken out of operation and sent to service consumers at Edinburgh, some 43 miles away.

Together the pumps at Number Sixty-Three Village and Number Fifty-Six Village serve areas between Number Fifty-One and Number Sixty-Six Villages.

The Water Treatment Plant at Number Fifty-Six Village can serve these areas on its own but only at a reduced level.

He further indicated that the options were either to leave the consumers at Edinburgh without their potable water supply or remove the pump and reduce the amount of water going to those in communities between Number Fifty-One and Number Sixty-Six Villages.

According to him, the Edinburgh catchment area is larger than areas receiving service from the Number Sixty-Three facility.

The relocation was temporary but by the time this situation could have been remedied, more power outages from Guyana Power and Light resulted in damage to another pump – this time at Letter Kenny on the Corentyne.

After this pump was extracted from the system, the Number Sixty-Three pump was placed at Letter Kenny.
When the Letter Kenny pump was back in operation, the one at Number Fifty-Seven went down and of course, the Sixty Three pump was used again.

The Number Fifty-Seven Village distribution area is from Number Fifty-One Village to Number Sixty-Six Village.

This time, however, it was only a part of the Number Sixty-Three Village pump was needed. The head was the wanted part since it was not compatible with the well master which had to be used. Some modification had to be done to that existing head of the Number Fifty-Seven pump.

Some adjustment work also had to be done on the head as well as the column of the Number Sixty-Three Village pump.

This was scheduled to be completed on Friday and placed back at its Number Sixty-Three location the following day.

On Friday, Mr. Cathro was optimistic that by Saturday the Number Sixty-Three pump would re-commence servicing communities from Number Fifty-One Village to Number Sixty-Six Village.

On Friday morning alone, pumps at the Port Mourant, Rose Hall Town, Fyrish, Albion, Letter Kenny, Adventure and Cromarty on the Corentyne were all out of operation due to power outages.

This is beyond the comprehension of residents who in turn cast the blame squarely on the shoulders of those at the Guyana Water Inc.

“They must understand that when Guyana Power and Light black us out we cannot operate the pumps…all of our pumps are electrically operated.”

He added that though power may be restored, the system at the Guyana Water Inc. cannot function immediately. This is so since their equipment function on a higher voltage than households.

“Meanwhile, residents of Number Fifty-One Village are up in arms over the potable water supply. Earlier this month the situation got worse and some sections in that community were completely without.
The sporadic water supply has been plaguing them since 1994.

On Tuesday last, the potable water supply was restored to Number Fifty-One Village to a certain level.
Though they are appreciative, the situation, however, is still not the way the residents would like it to be.