60% of Georgetown residents illegally reconnect water supply

A recent survey conducted by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has found that a massive 60 per cent of residents in Georgetown illegally reconnect their water supply after being disconnected.
The GWI on Thursday highlighted the major issue while noting that plans are afoot to intensify its disconnection and service removal campaign in a bid to focus on customers who are determined to illegally reconnect their service.
The water company said “a sample population of 700 Georgetown customers have illegally reconnected their water service after being disconnected for overdue balances… the utility has intensified its disconnection and service removal campaign across the capital city, with a particular focus on those customers who have illegally reconnected their service.”
According to the GWI, most of the customers who would have indulged in the illegal act are domestic customers.
Revenue Manager for the municipality, Nicholas Dawalat, explained that the company is currently conducting disconnections in the Queenstown area which will be trailed by other areas in Georgetown such as Stabroek, Alberttown, and Charlestown.
According to him, illegal reconnections result in a reduced level of service to customers, loss in revenue and contamination in the lines, which compromises the quality of water provided to customers.
He further added that the company’s loss in revenue also affects its ability to purchase chemicals to treat water to ensure that the quality meets World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, as well as its ability to pay its workers.
The manager nonetheless noted that disconnections and service removals are the company’s last resort after attempts to contact their customers prove futile.
According to GWI, its customers are given 28 days after their bill is due to clear their balance or the option to take advantage of the utility’s wallet-friendly payment plans.
If they fail to do so, their service is disconnected, and they are given an additional 28 days to pay their reconnection fee, before their service is removed. The cost for reconnection for domestic customers is $7500 and $16,000 for commercial customers, whereas the replacement fee for both categories is $20,000.
It was pointed out that GWI targets all categories of indebted customers, irrespective of whether they are domestic or commercial.