ENORMOUS PROBLEMS FACING NEW GWI TEAM

Nov 12, 2015 Editorial, Features / Columnists

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has a new CEO and a new Board of Directors, but would they solve the water shortage experienced by a number of communities throughout the country.
No one knows! But most of the people know that the multimillion-dollar investment and other initiatives by the previous administration to boost the overall supply capacity has not worked. There are still water shortage problems in the city and rural areas of the country where there has been significant population growth. The GWI faced enormous challenges to provide the entire nation with a reliable supply of potable water.
The daily complaints from people across the country paint a dismal picture of the water supply system which is in need of a complete overhaul. In some villages, residents have to live without running water for weeks because of extremely low pressure or broken mains.
Most of the people do not have access to running water all day long. That thousands of people have to endure such inconvenience in the 21st century and on the eve of Guyana’s 50th Independence anniversary is unacceptable.
The problems facing GWI are largely due to neglect, incompetence and lack of effective planning to anticipate the future needs of the population. Some repairs are long overdue and some pieces of equipment have long passed their life use. It often takes weeks or perhaps months to repair breakage in the water system.
In order to meet the demands of the population and to prevent water shortage, GWI must adopt a more proactive culture. It cannot be reactive. Over the years, there has been constant shortage of water in several new housing developments mainly because GWI failed to make the necessary provision.
Not so long ago, Guyanese could have proudly boasted of having the best potable water system in the Caribbean. In those days, the service was provided by the Water Works Department during the colonial period. Not only was the supply of water reliable, but the purity of the water was beyond question. Today, the citizens are constantly complaining of the poor quality of water, thus forcing them to boil the water or resort to the use of filters or bottled water to cook.
Water shortage should have never existed in Guyana, therefore, the people have legitimate reasons to complain. Furthermore, the steep increase in water rates over the years by the Government was justified on the grounds that the proceeds would be used to improve the service. Instead, there has been a steady deterioration of service. The problem is compounded by the fact that the water bills sometimes do not reflect the usage of those who have been without water for some time. This has resulted in a frustrated public angry at the government.
The people look forward to the day when the new CEO and his Board of Directors will bring about a much needed improvement in the water service and also much needed relief for households. The APNU+AFC government is currently doing more than what the previous administration had done in the last 23 years to solve the water shortage problem. But the problems are likely to get worse before they get better. The government has asked the people to be patient.
Even though many rural communities are without water at certain times of the day, short term measures are being put in place to ease the water shortage. The government is fully aware of the importance and need of water to the population and is working very hard to correct the situation. Something the PPP never did.

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