Bartica has been experiencing repeated power outages since the beginning of the year and frustrated residents are complaining of damage to appliances and equipment and of difficulties in finding reliable storage for perishables.
The community is still reeling from the slaughter of 12 persons, including three policemen, on February 17.
Contacted for a comment, CEO Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Bharat Dindyal said that the company’s operations at Bartica have been hit by an electrical problem, hence the frequent power outages.
He said the problem, which has stumped the company’s engineers, has been affecting the larger of the company’s two Caterpillar units. So far, several checks on the system have revealed no clue as to the source of the problem.
He said that the company would be ferrying in more equipment to Bartica today in an effort to return consistency to the power supply.
Region Seven Chairman Holbert Knights told this newspaper that he had written to GPL about the problem. “We found that for a couple of days, its okay, and then the power goes on and off,” Knights said. He said too that the level of the power fluctuates and this leads to damage to equipment.
He said that on average, there is a blackout every hour or so. “Businesses are suffering tremendously. Frozen foods cannot be kept. Businesses are closing up early because of this,” he said.
Knights said that the automatic switch at the Bartica Hospital was damaged because of the electricity problem.
