Residents, Red Thread picket GWI over Mahdia water woes

Oct 19, 2011 News

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Some residents of Mahdia in Region Eight are convinced that they are being neglected when it comes to the availability of potable water, having been without regular flow for more than five months. As a result, a few women from the community backed by members of Red Thread took to the parapet outside the Vlissengen Road Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) headquarters yesterday in order to raise their concerns.

The placard-bearing women silently displayed messages about lack of concern for the women and children of the area even as they emphasized that “We need water! We demand water!” They were even then adamant that the activity will continue until measures are taken to restore a proper and regular flow of water to the affected Region.
Among the picketers was Ms. Marbell Thomas of Campbelltown, who revealed that Region Eight was furnished with a reservoir which was built in 2005.  The reservoir, she said, became operational in September of that same year. However, problems would soon erupt as according to her, sometimes the pipes would become blocked with sand and leaves as no one had assumed the responsibility to maintain them.
“The sand is going in and leaves are going in and this is because of the way that they built the reservoir and when it is blocked up sometimes you have to wait days, weeks and sometimes months before you can clean it so that we can get back water.”
The water problem would develop further with the flow of water completely stopping in May of this year, Ms. Thomas said.
The situation, she explained, was brought to the attention of the Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Ishwar Das and “he said that he was going to take us to the place to see what was happening. But that is not our problem; we don’t want to go see what is happening at the reservoir we want them to do something about what is happening! If something is happening we want them to come and tell the residents what is happening so that we will understand, don’t just leave us just like that…”
Ms. Thomas recalled too that it was just recently that Prime Minister Samuel Hinds had visited the Region and assured residents that the problem would be fixed.
“We are really, really struggling; mothers and grandmothers have to walk about two miles to get water to cook, to wash and everything else…some teachers have even left Mahdia because of this situation.”
She revealed, though, that the only persons who are spared the exhausting dilemma are business persons who have their own vehicles, as they are able to transport their own water and even sell to some residents in need. “…$200 for a five-gallon bottle, $1,500 for a small barrel, $6,000 for the black tank; yes we can afford a five-gallon bottle but we cannot afford enough to do all the work we have to do with water…”
Ms. Thomas’s concerns were echoed by Ms. Marcia Evans of Central Mahdia who emphasized the point that “if you don’t have money you just can’t get water.” Ms. Evans even speculated that the water problem is being linked to some health issues in the Region.
As a single parent she said that the situation is a major bugbear which seems to only be getting worse rather than better, thus the need to engage action to spark a response.
The picketing exercise commenced around 10:00 hours yesterday and shortly after attracted the attention of GWI officials, among them Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ramchand Jailall, who in defensive mode asserted that there is currently not a significant problem in Mahdia.  He acknowledged though that there is some level of disruption but added that a team is there and water is being supplied in sections of Mahdia.
“Some sections are out of water and this is because of damage done to the main,” Jailall said, even as he alluded to the fact that the situation has been occurring over several months.
He further pointed out that while GWI is not present in Mahdia it is expected that the residents themselves would have taken responsibility and opted to maintain the system in collaboration with the Regional officials.
“GWI is only in Mahdia when there is technical difficulties and that is why we are there right now; a team is there and a contractor has been mobilized and we are replacing several sections of the main that have been significantly deteriorated so no one cannot come and say GWI is not doing anything in Mahdia, we are attending to whatever challenges we have there, but still there is a big risk and big challenge that the mains are still going to be damaged by the miners,” Jailall opined.
“…That is a fact that needs to be pointed out and the challenges need to be overcome. We need the miners to understand because of what they do it is interfering with the supply in the system to other residents…”
At the moment, about 15 per cent of the residents of Mahdia are affected by the water situation, according to Jailall, who reiterated that the residents are not completely without water but rather there has been a reduced service in some areas.
He nevertheless assured that the situation will be rectified within 24 hours even as he speculated that the whole picketing exercise is some sort of political plot.
“The residents have not brought it to our attention that they are significantly affected…this is a political plot (because) within five minutes about 15 residents are assembled in front of GWI and the media started to show up within a minute or two….”

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