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The use of chemicals in water

Nov 19, 2016 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There are still poor people in Guyana who drink pipe water. This may surprise many folks who use bottled or filtered water. But it is true that large numbers of persons still use water from the mains.
The majority of Guyanese use tap water to wash their clothes. The majority of Guyanese use water from taps to cook their food.
It is therefore of concern to more than half of the population whether the Guyana Water Inc. used a chemical, antinfex, which is not approved by the Food and Drugs Department.
The fact that a chemical is not approved does not mean that it is not healthy. But once it is not approved it should not be used. The two issues at the centre of the controversy between the Guyana Water Inc and the Government Analyst Food and Drugs Department need to be separated.
On the one hand, there needs to be a determination as to whether an unapproved chemical was used. If the chemical was not approved for use in Guyana by the relevant authority, then it needs to be determined who imported the chemical and how an import license was approved for its importation.
If on the other hand the chemical was approved for use in Guyana, then we have to move on to the second issue which is safety. Is the chemical safe for use in Guyana? The fact that it may have been approved does not mean that it is safe for use in water. We are being assured, however, that the main ingredient in antinfex is used for sanitation in the health industry. This does not mean that it can be used as anti-bacterial agent in Guyana. There still needs to be a determination as to its safety.
As mentioned before, the public is concerned because many people drink water from the taps; they use this water to wash their clothes and to cook their food. They brush their teeth and bathe with this water. They want to be assured that no unsafe chemicals were used in the treatment of water. This is all people want.
They are not too concerned with who is right and who is wrong. In Guyana too much time is wasted trying to prove who is right and who is wrong. We should be more interested in looking at safety and security rather than right and wrong.
They have persons in this country who have not seen a Church door in five to ten years, yet they are moralizing about some sex tape and images which is no concern of theirs. There are more important issues to be addressed in Guyana and one of those issues is about how contentious issues should be settled.
There is a contention about the use of antinfex in Guyana. But it seems as if the issue is being turned into an issue over individuals rather than addressing the substantive issues.
The government should appoint a one-man commission to investigate whether antinfex was approved for use in Guyana and for what uses it was approved. The investigation should also examine whether it is safe for antinfex to be used for the purification of water.
The investigation should go on to determine to what extent it was used. It should examine whether the necessary procedures were adhered to as regards the importation of the chemical.
There is no need to bring any military veteran out of retirement to undertake this investigation. It can be done by any senior bureaucrat.
It will help answer a lot of questions and allay a lot of fears because right now persons are afraid to use the water which comes through the taps and this cannot be good for Guyana

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