Appalling water situation at RDC Compound, Annai

May 16, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I was recently a guest at the Annai Rest House which is situated in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) compound, Annai Village, North Rupununi.
Imagine my surprise and dismay when on the first night of my stay I realised that there was no running water with which to bathe or to flush the toilet. I was quite annoyed, seeing that the Annai Rest House is a government facility and this Rest House is often frequented by government officials on visits to the North Rupununi.

I decided then to investigate the reason for this water shortage and I was quite taken aback at my findings. The Annai RDC compound is home to a number of buildings, most of which are government-owned. These include the Police Station, Health Centre and Regional Development Office.
In addition, there are established living quarters for public servants stationed at Annai, some of which include health officials, police officers, and teachers. All of these persons are dependent on a constant and adequate supply of water.

After chatting with a number of persons who reside in and around the RDC compound I was informed that for the longest while, the Annai Rest House as well as all of the other buildings in the compound have not been getting a reliable and efficient supply of potable water.
Why were this compound and its inhabitants which form such an important part of the North Rupununi being made to suffer in such a manner, I wondered.
To understand fully the water shortage situation, one must understand the design of the water system at the RDC compound.

There is a single well from which water is pumped into a huge elevated aluminum tank which is located on a hill which houses most of the buildings found in the compound.
From this tank, through a series of stop valves and taps, water is allowed to flow to the different buildings. Theoretically, that is how the water system is supposed to work. Realistically though the opposite happens. Firstly, the pump being used to pump water into the aluminum tank is old and outdated. It is a solar-powered submersible pump, and it seems that persons are always vandalizing the solar panels used to power the pump, leading to a reduction in pumping power.

Secondly, the general vicinity of the well is overgrown with bush, and tree roots have infiltrated the well leading to blockages of the pump and a reduction in the pumping capacity of the pump. The bushy and overgrown condition of the general vicinity of the well has also encouraged vandalism. All of these factors have contributed to the acute water shortage that is currently being experienced at the compound.
Why then, I queried, is the well not regularly cleaned, the pump regularly serviced and the general vicinity of the well regularly maintained?

One person stated that there are two handymen employed by the Regional Administration, but instead of doing what they are paid to do, they laze around and idle all day.
The most obvious solution to the problem I suggested was to replace the solar pump with an electric pump seeing that the RDC compound is equipped with a generator. My suggestion was met with indifferent shrugs. One person replied, “Do you know how long that suggestion has been put forward to the Regional Administration officials at Lethem? They are the persons with the power to ensure that some action is taken.

But to date, nothing has been done. Perhaps something will be done in time for the 2011 elections.”
I therefore feel it very important that I highlight this issue and hope that some action is urgently taken. Many people are suffering as a result of this water shortage. Just check with the persons who have used the Annai Rest House over the last 12 months. You will be surprised.

During my stay at the Annai Rest House, myself and my fellow companions had to follow suit with the other inhabitants and collect buckets and head down to wells in the village.
How embarrassing that in this day and age, we still have to revert to such outdated methods to obtain water, especially with a government always trumpeting that they have done so much for development.
B. Harris