Port Kaituma water supply woes an embarrassment for past Govt.

Jun 15, 2015 News

– Region One MP

“It’s very embarrassing that this was an issue brought up years ago and we’re still dealing with it; over 700 persons had to be treated and children have died yet no one had the judgment to say it’s time to do something.”

As the residents of Port Kaituma continue to appeal for a regular supply of potable and unpolluted water, Region One Parliamentarian Richard Allen has opined that the longstanding problem is an embarrassment for the previous administration.
But he said that with a new government in power the situation might finally be remedied.
Late last week, frustrated residents came together to pen a letter and appealed for improvements of their current water supply. The issue of water had been one plaguing the community for years.
According to Allen, the situation was one that he was aware of. In fact, he said, he had raised the matter during the Tenth Parliament.

The Port Kaituma Creek has been polluted for quite some time

“We have to figure out a way for the residents to get potable water,” Allen emphasised. He further said that Port Kaituma was not the only area in the region being affected but the sub-region as well.
The water supply issue has two parts; on one hand, residents claim that sections of the community are unable to receive water while on the other hand, when water is being received, it is highly polluted.
Allen explained that the community first received water from the Port Kaituma Creek but soon many residents fell sick.
Experts were eventually sent into the area and the water was tested. It was then that high levels of pollution were discovered.
However, he said, residents are still forced to drink water from the creek. This is particularly the case during the dry season when other sources such as rainfall are unavailable.
He said too that a well was eventually set up but it could not supply the entire community.
Additionally, he said, there are three schools in the area that need to be serviced.
“I feel bad about the entire situation because this is something I personally pushed for time and time again and spoke about in the National Assembly…and it’s very embarrassing that this was an issue brought up years ago and we’re still dealing with it; over 700 persons had to be treated and children have died, yet no one had the judgment to say it’s time to do something,” Allen said.
According to Port Kaituma residents, they are forced to depend solely on rain for water. They said too that they are pooling their monies to get water to their homes.
Furthermore, they said, though the community’s pump station at Citrus Grove Port had two engines, one became faulty. This engine, they said, was sent for repair to Georgetown but was later said to have been ‘lost’. They added that the remaining engine cannot supply the entire community and has already outlived its usefulness.
Allen explained that the pump station transports the polluted creek water to the residents. Though a purification system had been promised, none ever came, Allen said.
Following the pleas of the residents for help, an official of the Ministry of Communities confirmed the situation and promised the remedying of it. The official similarly said that he was “disturbed” that, under the previous administration, the issue had been allowed to fester for years.

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