WCD villages still without potable water

One week after it was reported that several villages on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) are without potable water, the supply has not yet been restored in the majority of these areas and villagers are still sourcing water from nearby trenches.
Councillor of Constituency Number Four, Poorandai Sukhu, informed Guyana Times on Saturday that there has been no improvement in the situation at Zeelugt for the past seven days.
“The situation is the same. We ain’t get no improvement in the community with the water. People still have to use the trench to get water,” Sukhu said.
Residents indicated that it is evident that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has made no effort whatsoever to have the water supply restored. On some days, a few houses are fortunate to have a very slow supply but this does not remedy the situation for the villagers.
“Late in the night, then you might be lucky to get it very slow and maybe early in the morning like 03:30h, but it just dripping so that can’t really do anything.”
Sukhu told Guyana Times last week that hundreds of persons from her district were affected by the unreliable water supply from the utility company. Although they have been without potable water in the past, this has been the longest period.
“The entire village is without water. The residents have to go by the trench to dip water to do their chores. They have a pump station in Vergenoegen and since then we’ve been having this problem. We write GWI and they replied that they will fix the problem but the problem is getting worse.”
The number of hours for which water was supplied was also reduced two years ago, followed by poor water quality, which is often deemed unfit for domestic chores.
“The water is not clear. It’s reddish, sometimes it’s muddy and sometimes you can’t use it because it causing itching on the children and the adults as well.”
Meanwhile, in the Meten-Meer-Zorg area, the supply was restored a few days ago and it has since been consistent.
“So far, we are getting back water. A few days back they put it on back and since then, it didn’t cut off,” Diana Ahmad, a resident, said.
When this publication contacted GWI for a comment on the matter, all calls went unanswered. After many letters by the affected residents, they have no confidence that this matter will be resolved in the coming days since no explanation was given.