Westminster residents without potable water since Saturday

…pump left dismantled by contractor

The community of Westminster, La Parfaite Harmony, West Bank Demerara (WBD), has been left without water since Saturday due to ongoing works at one of the community’s main pumps.

Currently, residents are unable to receive water in their homes, and a contractor has dismantled the well within the area but no works is ongoing on the pump.
The hose that connects to the pump that sucks the water from underground is out on the street lying on the ground.
This information was revealed by members of the community. Speaking with this publication, one resident, Ganesh Madoo, said that after the community was not receiving water, he took it upon himself to check the situation at the pump.
“Since Saturday lunchtime, they turned off the water so no water Saturday at all, no water Saturday night, no water the whole day yesterday [Sunday], and no water last night (Sunday night). I decided to say, man, let me go down and see what’s going on at the pump. When I went down everything was stripped, and they’re out on the mud and side of the road,” the resident said.
The persons who were working on the road left everything there and now one is in the compound where the pump is located.
“…not a single person working on anything here. Come on we the residents are human beings,” he stated frustratedly.
He added that if the GWI had inform residents of what was going to happen they would have put system in place to have water.
“If they came around and informed us, we would have pulled some water up on the hill. Because we don’t get this problem.”
According to Madoo, this has caused residents to be unable to attend to their basic needs.
“When I called the GWI office, customer’s service, they said that some contractor came to do some maintenance on the well. I said, man, but since Saturday, and nobody came around and informed us or sent anything to the media or Facebook And it’s a lot of people in this area around me. Everybody around the area, the whole place, that this pump supplies.”
He also urged the authorities to ensure that notices are communicated to communities when works like these are about to happen.
“How are they expecting us to survive man? Next time they need to tell people these things a day or two before so people can prepare themselves, because to this day they’ve still got it out on the road, and they’ve just stripped everything and dung it and left with it.”
Attempts to reach officials from the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) for comment have been unsuccessful. (G2)