Dear Editor,
I read a letter by Sean Adams where he asked what reasonable progress is. I am a regular fellow trying to survive in this country, so please bear with me when I try to define this.
Reasonable progress is being able to save $10,000 a month looking to the future. Reasonable progress is being able to tell my pregnant wife she need not work, that my $50,000 salary can get us through comfortably. That it will do for the $30,000 rent, $6,000 light bill, $10,000 monthly Courts bill for my refrigerator, food and transportation costs.
Reasonable progress is coming home and turning on the kitchen tap and getting water, sir. And here we get to my main issue. We live in the country “of many waters”, and to this day can’t get proper water, never mind water pressure, which you don’t need to have settle, to cook with. I live in Chateau Margot, and for the last 3 weeks, can’t figure when we are supposed to get water. Found something like a pattern, 3 hours from 6am and 3 hours (mostly) from maybe 4pm, I’m not able to time it because I have to be working. It varies tremendously. However, keeping those times, do you know what that means for me on weekends? That means that I have to get to bed early Friday and Saturday nights, no watching TV late or anything else late for that matter. Why? Because I have to get up very early to catch the water to clean house, and wash clothes before the water stops, because I’m never sure it will come again in the afternoon. Are we progressing well so far, Mr. Adams? With my huge salary I’m sure you’ll suggest that I make a trestle and get water tanks and a pump, eh?
But you know what would be good progress? Good progress would be for GWI to be polite, and the same way they notified the public that un-metered residences have to pay their water bill at the start of the year – for “the provision of the service”, the same way they could maybe notify us that “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but we have a problem somewhere, and this is the water schedule for the area”.
Better progress would be for them to say you know, we are working on establishing some gravity tanks in all areas, so that when there is a power failure (and with all the progress we are seeing, blackouts, scheduled, still exist, eh Mr. Adams?), you will still be able to get water. It doesn’t get shut off for the rest of the day. That we at GWI won’t have to then spend all that money fixing generators and pumps, because maybe, they are getting overworked.
But you know what would be the best progress, Mr. Adams? The best progress would be if someone in authority at GWI responds to this letter. That way, I can hear first hand, with some clarity, what exactly is going on. What I can expect whenever I turn on my tap.
Maybe (hopefully) the fact that I won’t have to fetch (progress, sir, fetch!) water upstairs to wash with. That I won’t have to filter the creatures and the gunk that you get in the water. And (but this might be pushing it) I would be able to drink a glass of water straight from the tap. And not propaganda coming from whomever trying to pull wool over our eyes.
No offence, Mr. Adams, but exactly how far again have we progressed? To this day, we have to put up with monopolies squeezing us dry for basic necessities, namely, water, and electricity. Why? Because we have no choice! Some progress, eh?
And that, Mr. Adams, is what I would consider the greatest progress – to be able to choose, sir.
Yours faithfully,
N Jodhan