GWI’s water rationing
schedule comes in for criticism
Kaieteur News
July 19, 2004
Residents of several areas targeted for water rationing are complaining about the inappropriate hours they now have to wait to receive supplies.
The Guyana Water Inc. had announced last week that steps were taken to ensure the even distribution of water around the country.
As a result areas like Alberttown, Queenstown, Newtown, Campbellville, Kitty, Wortmanville and Subryanville, which all benefitted from eight hours of running water per day will now be rationed.
The Water Company added these places to the growing list of the water distribution schedule and as such they can now only receive water during a certain time.
However, residents in several of these areas listed for rationing have objected strongly to the step taken by the Water Company.
Some even dispute the measure. They see it as nothing but inappropriate and offered that it was not well thought through by the Company. They dispute that the time appointed by the Company for a specific area to receive water might very well be the time when residents are out of their homes and cannot collect the water.
“When the pipe comes on, sometimes you’re at work, what must you do, leave all the taps on and set the buckets to catch the water?” One resident questioned.
Others agree that they cannot sit up and wait until the Water Company decides to release the water to bathe, wash their clothes and perform other household chores.
“What they think? We don’t have a life so we have to sit and wait till they ready to send the water?” another woman asked.
The residents claim that they are hard pressed with various chores and the task of waiting to catch and then leisurely filling one bucket at a time for use during the rationing period is very time consuming.
On the contrary, the Water Company is contending that there are still some areas that are not even receiving water for days at a time. At the same time there are other areas that are forced to wait on a water truck to come around and serve them with water.
The rationing of water is due to widespread repairs undertaken on water pumps in several villages around the country. The pump at the Shelter Belt, according to Public Relations Officer Audreyanna Thomas, was also malfunctioning and is now under repairs.
According to Ms. Thomas this issue will be resolved as soon as the pumps are back in working order and repairs to the pump at the Shelter Belt are completed.