Dear Editor,
I remember going to school and miss would ask “what does the Amerindian word Guyana mean?”, fingers would be stuck up in anticipation of being chosen to answer. “Land of many waters” answered one student. Today, the situation is the opposite of the belief that Guyana is awash with potable water.
Looking at our potable water situation needs much to be desired, as of today February 5, 2007 it looks as though we are not headed for a change in this situation in a hurry.
Meten Meer Zorg and De Kinderen, two densely populated communities on the West Coast of Demerara, experience such neglect that people are disgusted and wonder what will become of them. Water is a crucial necessity for cooking, washing, hygiene functions and drinking.
The pump at Meten Meer Zorg has been unserviceable for the longest while and no effort is being made to fix it. A tractor delivers water to the area once or twice a week. Its fetches five 430 gallon black tanks to serve over 200 households equal to about 10.75 gallons a household. With this our women have to bathe the children, cook three meals a day, wash clothes and hope it’s safe to drink.
How will we survive? How will the children fare at school? How will our babies grow to be healthy? I overheard the driver of the tractor saying “after today, I should be back by Friday” so we have to ration 10.75 gallons water over four days equivalent to approx. 2.75 gallons a day. So a household of five will have to bathe, cook, wash and drink and be happy until the next time.
I implore the authorities to look into this dire situation and give better relief to residents of these communities. Until such time as our pump gets fixed we need not one but at least two more tractors with water tanks to serve the area.
Our present driver is doing his best but that’s as much as he can do, there is need for assistance. Parents that work should not be kept waiting to be served with water, which sometimes comes late or never. That is not good for our communal or country’s development.
I hope that this matter can be dealt with urgently by the relevant authorities.
Yours faithfully,
Ashton Simon
Editor’s note:
We are sending a copy of this letter to Guyana Water Inc for any comments they may wish to make.
