Water reconnected to Region 6 schools – GWI

Pull quote: “Since the assumption of the new Government, no payment was made to the GWI. The disconnection to schools is very disrespectful to the education sector of this region” – Head of Regional Education Committee
The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on Wednesday said it reconnected the water supply at all schools in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) the same day it disconnected the water.
This was related to Guyana Times by the water company’s Public Relations Officer, Leana Bradshaw.
She said that the move to disconnect the water was made by the company in an effort to have the regional officials pay its outstanding balance of $136 million.
Bradshaw said that although the regional officials claimed that some $61 million was owed to the company, it was, in fact, $136 million.
“GWI disconnected the services of schools in Region Six, in an attempt to prompt the region to settle its overdue payment”. In fact, “Following this move, the region has committed to making a payment and the water service of all of the schools have since been reconnected,” the PRO added.
According to her, the move made by GWI has resulted in the regional officials preparing a cheque to bring a calm to the outrageous move.
Bradshaw added that the region has not yet indicated the value of the cheque.
Guyana Times understands that among the schools which were disconnected was the region’s premier secondary institution, the New Amsterdam Multilateral School.
This publication understands that no water bills were paid for all Government buildings in the region for the years 2017 and 2018. These buildings include schools, hospitals, health centres and all other Government buildings which fall under the remit of the regional administration.
The regional office in New Amsterdam by itself reportedly owes GWI in excess of $3 million for water supplied over the past few years.
But while GWI said that it reconnected the water supply to the schools, this newspaper was told that several schools in the region reportedly remain disconnected.
The region has 57 nursery schools, 54 primary schools and 19 secondary schools.
Head of the Regional Education Committee Zamal Hussain, during an interview with this newspaper on Wednesday, said that the move by the GWI was unexpected.
He said that he learnt of the exercise on Tuesday and Head Teachers were left stunned at the exercise.
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman David Armogan said the payments were made on Wednesday and a payment plan was worked out.
However, Hussain, who also heads the Regional Health Committee, said that the situation should never have developed.
“Since the assumption of the new Government, no payment was made to the GWI. The disconnection to schools is very disrespectful to the education sector of this region.”
Meanwhile, after the intervention of senior officials from the water company’s head office, schools in New Amsterdam were reconnected on Tuesday but up to Wednesday afternoon, some schools on the Upper Corentyne were reportedly not reconnected.
It is not known whether the administration is being charged a reconnection fee.
Hussain said he was pleased by the way in which the Regional Chairman and the Regional Executive Officer handled the issue.