– may have exposed the people to harmful chemical
Given the grave health implications associated with the use of a questionable chemical –Antinfek – for the treatment of water used by thousands of Guyanese, the situation warrants a full-fledged investigation into the operations of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI).
This is according to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who on Thursday told media operatives that the revelation thus far “warrants a full-fledged investigation, or maybe another Commission of Inquiry”.
Guyana Times over the weekend reported that GWI had begun using Antinfek to treat its water being distributed to residents in Diamond, Soesdyke and Bartica.
This situation obtains despite the staunch opposition to the chemical’s use locally. The chemical has even been refused use in Haiti.
Jagdeo was adamant that if the chemical was in fact being used in Diamond and other places, “they (GWI) may have exposed the people to harmful chemicals not tested and not approved for use here”.
The GWI earlier this week confirmed that it was using the chemical, but maintained that it was just being tested.
Guyana Times has since been able to verify, through internal communications, that the chemical has in fact been put into use at the three locations, affecting thousands of consumers, with Diamond being one of the largest housing schemes in the nation.
Minutes of meetings during March 2016 show that the Antinfek chemical was scheduled for use in new wells in several communities in Bartica. The documents from another meeting in June 2016 indicate that the well at the Linden-Soesdyke Highway would also be dosed with Antinfek. In fact, the internal communications illustrate that dosing pumps were being procured to add the chemical into the well. Additionally, the records of a July 2016 meeting show that the well at Diamond, EBD, was also being dosed with the Antinfek chemical to treat the water.
The call for an investigation by the Opposition Leader comes on the heels of an order by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to the GWI to halt its use of this chemical.
In its public missive on the issue, GWI said it was still using the sole disinfecting agent in all the treatment plants, while laboratory studies are being done on the use of other treatment alternatives.
GWI argued that it was found that the residual concentration of chlorine has a short life span, thus it does not protect the water from re-contamination during prolonged storage. Antinfek is manufactured by DoveBiotech Group of Companies, which describes the chemical as a powerful organic bio-polymer based compound, effective in decontamination of water against waterborne diseases, bacteria and fungi.
Internal communications show that the GWI Scientific Services Manager outlined that research suggested that the chemical was not recommended for approval for household water treatment distribution in Haiti, which had no US National Sanitary Foundation (NFS) certification for potable water use.
Guyana Times understands that a DoveBiotech representative claimed that Antinfek was “approved for sale in Guyana by the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board of Guyana”. However, the Registrar at the Board indicated to the GWI by email that “records at the PTCCB do not show a registration/approval for this product.”
Notably, the importation of this chemical requires approval by the PTCCB under the law.
