Diamond residents still experiencing water shortage
– forced to pay for water delivery
Residents of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, are voicing their frustrations over the lack of
The water bowser making its rounds in the community
potable water in the area.
According to residents, two weeks have passed since they started experiencing the shortage, and have been told that they may face another three weeks without water.
Aggravated residents told this publication that they were initially told the shortage was due to damaged equipment at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) pump station.
Currently, residents are receiving water from bowsers dispatched by GWI from they fill their containers. This, the residents say, is very inconvenient as the trucks pass by during the day when many of them are away at work, business or school.
One resident Asha explained that she was told residents would have to wait another two weeks for the return of water, and this has become very frustrating: “They told us that something is broken and they have to get it fixed, and that the parts have to be imported. The water trucks would usually pass around but this is the first time that we are getting. We rely on our pump to pump out any water that is remaining in the pipelines, other than that we have to hope for the rain,” she stated.
Other residents also explained that a local supplier of distilled water in the area has been exploiting the situation by charging residents large sums to refill their containers. The residents also revealed that the supplier has been taking the guise of an agent of GWI, and as such allegations of the Water authority charging residents for water delivery have arisen.
“They coming around in a white canter and charging up to $5000 for a refill. People assuming that they from GWI and they ain’t denying it. Suh GWI end up tekin’ blame fuh something that they ain’t doing cause the GWI truck doan charge money fuh the water,” one woman stated.
Meanwhile, one of the GWI delivery men explained that they will be distributing water on a daily basis around the Housing Scheme, and as such he is urging residents to gather as many storage containers as they could.
“There ain’t got to limit on how much water each person can get, How much they can tek, that is how much we giving them. This is all free of cost…so they shouldn’t pay the delivery men or anybody else for that,,” he stated.
