The water provided by GWI to Diamond/Grove residents
ng Scheme, on the East Bank of Demerara, on Saturday voiced their frustration over the non-supply of potable water to the community for two weeks.
According to residents, for the first week, no water was running through the pipelines and after numerous complaints, the community began receiving water at a low pressure. However, residents stated that the water that finally came through their taps was unclean and unusable.
One Diamond resident who identified herself only as Shanty told Guyana Times “the water stop come for a whole week. No water at all. Then by the next week, it coming lil bit then cut off and next four hours it gon come for about five mins and gone again. Plus we cant even use the water. It coming out red, red and grumsy and sometimes I does got fine worms in it.”
Other residents asserted that while some persons had stored water in their water tanks, others did not have capacity, and as such, many children were forced to stay at home away from school since there was no water available for them to shower.
“My daughter is 15 years old, she does go town school. I can’t send the child to school. Is nah like she is a lil girl. It aint got no water to bathe and we try asking the neighbours fuh water but we can’t do it all the time cause they in the same struggle too,” a mother pointed out.
Another villager highlighted to this publication that as a single parent, her expenses have raised since the lack of water has forced her to buy distilled water on a daily basis to cook and drink.
“I work domestic right. I cant use that grumsy water to cook. Before I used to boil the water and cook and throw bleach in it for my children to drink but watch this water. I cant use this. It putting me in nuff expense, I have to buy two big bottle water from the water truck every day, that’s $240 a bottle, $480 a day and I does work for $2500 a day. That’s nuff money because I know how hard I does gotta work for my money.”
Several residents told this newspaper that numerous calls were made to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and they were informed that the water shortage was due to the breakage of a pipeline within the area. The representatives of GWI however were unable to state when this matter would be rectified.
