Latest update March 20th, 2025 5:10 AM
Apr 15, 2009 News
By Rustom Seegopaul
Since March 11, residents of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, have reported a significant drop in water pressure in their area. They claim that a number of reports have been made to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) office in Pouderoyen, but nothing has been done to rectify the problem.
Compounding the problem is the seeming lack of proper communication between the GWI Head Office and the GWI Pouderoyen office.
When contacted, on March 12, the GWI Head Office said that it had received no reports of a malfunctioning water supply in the area. This came after residents of the Vreed-en-Hoop area said that they had made a report to the GWI office in Pouderoyen.
On March 14, the GWI Head Office affirmed that it had previously passed the report on to the GWI office in Pouderoyen. No repairs were effected. Personnel at the GWI Head Office said that they would, again, remind the Pouderoyen office of the water problem in Vreed-en-Hoop.
Persons living in Vreed-en-Hoop have said that the water is trickling through their taps and that the water pressure is so low that they have to wait for hours to fill a bucket, to perform their household chores.
These reports came at the heels of similar reports, coming from Meten-Meer-Zorg, also on the West Coast Demerara. Persons from that village have said that the water pressure is not consistent.
“Sometimes the pressure will drop for a day or two, and then go back to normal for a day,” said one resident. The water woes being faced by residents of these two localities are nothing new, as residents of both communities have noted that their communities have experienced problems with water supply before.
The inconsistent pressure has caused countless headaches, explained one of the Vreed-en-Hoop residents, who said that he has four children, all of whom go to school in the city. The poor water pressure, he noted, usually causes his children to be late for school.
The Vreed-en-Hoop populace have said that they had gotten their hopes up, when for two days the water pressure came back. The pressure subsequently fell again.
“Everyone here is punishing, this thing is not easy,” exclaimed one of the residents. He said that his family had been getting by by simply using the water reserves they had in their storage tanks.
He added that he was unsure how much longer these water reserves would last, as they were probably almost depleted.
Other residents said that the lack of water was simply not fair, since they had paid their water rates on time. “They (GWI) always say that people should not run illegal lines and steal water, but when they stop our water they are pushing us to steal,” said another frustrated resident.
The GWI budget for last year was some $3 billion, and it was previously reported that the budget for 2009 could see an additional $2 billion added to it.
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