PNCR, Water Minister in war of words over water sector

Oct 23, 2009 News

According to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Member of Parliament, Keith Scott, the ruling People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) 17 years of incompetence, lack of performance and deterioration in the water sector, has led to further hardships on the Guyanese people in the supply of potable water.
Scott, during the party’s weekly press briefing, yesterday, reminded media operatives present that in 1992 the PPP/C promised to accelerate and implement plans, which catered for the rehabilitation and adequate delivery of a potable water supply to the country.
He was adamant that after 17 years of governance by the PPP, “Guyanese turning on their water taps at home best illustrate the hollowness of their (PPP) promises.”
According to the PNCR MP water delivery has been sacrificed because of the “haste to re-engineer the population for political mileage.”
He added that there is the obvious need for bigger pumps, making reference to the Guyhoc/West Ruimveldt Well, which he said is unable to provide an adequate water supply to the number of residents in the area as the PPP had projected.
“The white elephant at Guyhoc/West Ruimveldt is still to be filled with water to adequately supply residents in that area.”
He said that the inadequate supply of water to various villages across Guyana reflects poor planning, and that because of the failure to make adjustments for the expansion of a Community, the pump station cannot make the adequate supply.
Scott noted that consumers are paying for the PPP’s inefficiency, because the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) continues to pass on the cost of wastage to the customers by inflated estimated bills rather than accurate bills.
The GWI mandate is to supply clean and potable water according to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, “yet they have continually failed to do so.”
Scott also berated the low water pressure, and the Government’s laying the blame on the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company.
Scott also criticized GWI for the poor maintenance of the hydrants around the city, saying that “millions go up in flames owing to lack of water, poor planning and deliberate disregard for the building codes of the city.”
However the Minister with responsibility for the Water Sector, Irfaan Ali, in an invited comment blasted Scott’s remarks as, having “been fashioned from an obvious lack of knowledge of the water sector and its various operations.”
In his criticism of the PNCR position, Ali said that the party blatantly ignores the “remarkable” progress made in the water sector.
Ali asserted that despite the comments made by Scott, GWI is guided by WHO’s standards for the provision of safe water to consumers, adding that water is routinely tested for total and faecal coliforms, the bacteria that causes diarrhoea and other water borne illnesses, and that GWI maintains comprehensive records of the tests in the central laboratory.
Alli emphasised that in 1992 when the current administration took office it inherited a countrywide water supply infrastructure that was largely decrepit and grossly inefficient with many sections of Guyana’s coast having only limited access to individual household water connections.
“In fact, the former PNC Government’s neglect of the water supply system saw the deployment of hand carts loaded with drums and buckets, which were pushed by young children every morning and afternoon, without fail, as they relentlessly endured the hardships associated with sourcing water from the few available village collection points….We also seem to have forgotten that most of the Essequibo Coast, for example, did not have access to piped water under PNC rule.”
According to the Minister the administration acknowledges that despite the many successes achieved to date, there remain many areas where water supply improvements and upgrades are required.
He stated, however, that there are plans in place to address each of the identified water woes.
“What we need to understand is that water supply infrastructural growth requires time, funding and the continued tremendous dedication of young qualified engineers and water supply specialists who have remained to serve the utility and those that continue to join the water utility….
“It is therefore most unbecoming of the PNC/R to describe the utility’s engineers as political hacks.”

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PNCR, Water Minister in war of words over water sector

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