Poor ethics by Guyana Water Inc. workers

Mar 26, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Yesterday (24-03-11) I heard a man calling at my gate, when I looked out on my veranda I saw a GWI water meter reader. He told me he came to read my water meter, I invited him in and he read my water meter. About five minutes later he came back and told me he got instructions from his boss to disconnect my water.
I asked him for what reason he told me that I owed GWI money, but he cannot tell me the amount but his boss is coming who will tell me.
I asked him to show me his disconnection list, when I looked at the list I did not see my lot number on the list nor my name. I told him that I will show him my last bill that was paid in December.
His boss came and I showed him the bill, I told him that I did not receive any water bill in the mail since then and I never owed bills that include GPL, GWI and GT&T. He called GWI and told me I owed about $17,000.
I asked him then why no bill was sent to me and residents living in this community in months. He said we ought to go in to GWI office to still pay for water even if we don’t have bills which I can understand. What I don’t understand is why GWI failed to send residents bills, failed to go around with their loudspeakers on their trucks to remind residents to pay their bills, but they are disconnecting water from residents at their whims and pleasure since they themselves have failed residents by not sending out bills.
As my conversation continued with the GWI boss I told him my wife will drive down to GWI and pay the bill, he agreed and gave my wife a letter which he signed. He said in one hour he will pass back to check the paid bill.
He never came but I showed the bill to one of his workers who I saw walking on the road. My concerns are many the meter reader just came to me with my lot number but my name was not on the list, I was not even shown the list with my lot number he claimed was on that list which another worker had.
I also noted that more than one house in my area have the same lot number. So how will the meter readers and GWI workers know whose line to disconnect without a name on that list, but just a lot number?
I also discovered that two more houses in my area has the same lot number like mine. About 20 minutes later one of my church members called me and told me that GWI disconnected his water even though they used a wrong name but the lot number is similar.
His wife went to GWI office to query the problem, but was told she has to pay $6,000 reconnection fees.
How can they pay reconnection fees for someone else’s pipe line, since their name was not on that disconnection list, only a lot number that is the same lot number on two other houses in the same area? What I observed is the poor ethics of these GWI workers. They cannot investigate things properly, but they are working with brutal force and ignorance. In the morning lots of poor residents’ children won’t have water to bathe their skins to go to school since their pipe lines are disconnected.
I also observed that many of GWI staff don’t wear a badge, but they are very good at intimidating people.
The guy who came to disconnect my line didn’t wear a badge, only his boss had on a badge. Without a badge how will residents know that these guys are from GWI?
I personally think the water meter system is a waste of time because wicked residents will tamper with the meter from time to time, they won’t be at home when the meter readers are around and the meter is also a hindrance for a proper water flow. I think that residents should be asked to pay their water bills yearly in four quarters. That would be easier. It will ease the long lines of queries at GWI’S office and make things easier for residents. Failing to pay bills then will lead to disconnection. GWI won’t have to spend thousands to print bills and mail them which will not reach residents at times because of the incompetence of the post office.
GWI always claimed they are sending out bills, but a check with my post office in my community informed me that no bills ever came to them for my community in months from GWI.
I would be more than delighted if the Minister responsible for water and the CEO from GWI will look into these issues I have raised here. I am still very much more concerned in this age of advance technology why is it we are only getting water 2-3 days per week on the East Coast for just a few hours. Residents need water everyday, we still have to survive on the mercy of the rains.
Rev. Gideon Cecil

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