Canal No 2 residents decry poor utility services

Residents of Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, are calling on Government to address a number of burning matters that have been affecting them for a number of months. According to residents, their pleas for intervention have been unanswered and repudiated by the regional authorities.
On Saturday, residents reached out to Guyana Times to visit their community. According to the residents, they are frustrated with the ongoing unaddressed issues in their community.

Water
One of the main concerns is the quality of water which is supplied to the village by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), which according to villagers, contains a high level of iron that makes it unfit even for household purposes.
Mark Itwaru, a distressed resident, told Guyana Times that while other communities are accessing potable water, the Canal Number Two area has seen a great deal of water that is contaminated with impurities and also mineral elements in large quantities.
“We can’t even use the water to wash clothes cause the iron in the water staining the clothes and everything else that you wash. Imagine if we got to drink it,” he stated.

Dangerous roads, bridges

While the water supply is on the forefront to be addressed, the dilapidated bridges and roads with large craters is also something of great concern. It was related that one of the bridges, which is located at the junction of the canal and leading into Belle West, is in a deplorable state and moreover unsafe for many to navigate their vehicles. Meanwhile, the roads are indented with large potholes that span several metres along the roadway and have been deteriorating constantly, which affects commuters.
“This is dangerous to both the driver and pedestrians cause you have to swerve from left to right on the road to avoid breaking up your car and you can cause an accident like that.”
Another villager related that in the past, the Canal’s Polder Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) was informed of the unsafe conditions, but the residents were told that these repairs do not fall under the remit of the Council. It was further stated that the regional administration should be engaged to provide a suitable outcome.

Power outages
Additionally, it was highlighted that recurring power outages are another daily dose of despair which lasts for endless hours and on most occasions, the entire day. Just last Wednesday, one of the persons residing in the area noted that the electrical supply was off from 07:00h to 18:00h.
“We always getting blackout, sometimes more than two time every week and it does last the whole day. The last time it cut off at seven and they come till in the night to put it on back after more than five reports.”
The residents are pleading with the relevant authorities to address the matters of concerns which can ultimately provide some level of relief to the community.