Tap water was recently restored at La Grange, West Bank Demerara, after residents had been without it for some time however some say they now have another “headache” to contend with as they are being billed exorbitant amounts.
Some residents, who recently received their water bills, said they were astonished at the amount of money the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) charged them for “no water”. Quoting figures such as $76,000, $35,000 and $16,000, they wondered how they could be charged for a service they never received.
Liloatie Singh from Independence Street said she could not understand why she was billed $15,000, since she had not received water in five years. Another resident, Indranie, said she too had received her bill and was charged over $40,000. The woman said, “We ain’t get the service to pay that amount of money.”
Other residents wondered how they were going to afford to pay their water bills “plus GPL (Guyana Power and Light) too and all them other bills.”
When Stabroek News asked if they had queried the amounts on the bills, the residents said they had not done so but had planned to contact the company. They also said that if the situation was not corrected they would contemplate protesting. This newspaper’s efforts to contact the water company for a comment proved futile.
Residents served by the La Grange water pump had been without running water since last year after the pump broke down. During the period, they received water by way of black tanks.
When this newspaper visited the community yesterday, residents said that tap water had been restored last week but those who live furthest from the pump said that the pressure is very low.
