– caught stealing gallons of water from fire hydrant
The Guyana Water Inc (GWI) is in the process of filing charges against Arctic Waters, a private water supply company that was caught refilling one of its water trucks at a fire hydrant in Kitty, Georgetown.
The Arctic Waters truck tapping into the fire hydrant
In a statement, GWI said that the company was caught on video filling its 10,000-gallon truck with water from a fire hydrant for sale to its customers.
GWI said the company has evaded paying $6750 per tank of water, and reiterated its intention to take strict action against the company for the illegal activity.
The utility company reminded the general public that tampering with its infrastructure was punishable by law. It added that the water company condemned rogue officers of the Guyana Fire Service who appear to condone and assist the illegal activity.
In the video, two firemen in uniform were also seen assisting the private company in getting its tank filled by opening the fire hydrant.
The GWI said that fire hydrants existed only for use in the event of a fire and emergency cases where GWI saw fit based on its own assessment.
Tampering with GWI’s infrastructure attracts a fine of $30,000 for residential customers and $65,000 for non-residential customers.
Over the years, there have been cases of fire hydrants being vandalised.
About a month ago, GWI’s Executive Director of Operations, Dwayne Shako underscored that it was expensive to keep water flowing in Guyana. He said the cost of chemicals to keep the water purified was some $60 million each month.
Shako also said though this was a challenge, the company was working tirelessly to ensure that the water kept flowing during the pandemic, “even though it comes at a cost”.
