Dear Editor,
Mr Karan Singh of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) can rant and rave as much as he wants and lecture this nation on the wastage of water, but I am no longer impressed. As a matter of fact, when next he delivers such a lecture, I will not be listening, watching or reading.
A punctured water main next to my property, located at Lots 1-4 Continental Park, East Bank Demerara, has not yet been sealed even after reports were promptly made to the GWI and to the telephone company, GT&T – the erring entity. My conservative estimate is that 1,000 gallons of this precious resource are wasted every hour and no one seems concerned.
On Tuesday (June 24) at approximately 11.30 am a group of men from GT&T were attempting to plant a metal pole next to a wooden telephone pole, which had also been recently planted by the GT&T, when they punctured the water main. The vigilance of my wife who was home at the time made possible the discovery of what happened, and after a less-than-polite encounter with the GT&T workers, the men left never to return. My wife immediately called the GWI office at Public Road, Peter’s Hall, a stone’s throw away from where we live, and reported the matter to a Ms Nelson, and was given Reference No 1105163-2. Prompt help was promised but this never arrived, and 33 hours later (after losing a minimum 33,000 gallons of precious water) at the time of composing this letter, the situation seems set to continue into the next day without any indication or demonstration of concern from the GWI.
I also called the GT&T at around 2.30 pm the same day, and after about 30 minutes of dialling different numbers at the company’s head office, I was able to talk to a supervisor, Mr Lennox Skeete, who confirmed receiving a report on the damaged main. He also indicated that GWI had been informed.
As expected, homes in the area have been affected, but luckily some of us have reservoirs so the effects would not be felt immediately by all. However, this does not give GWI the right to drag its feet in effecting repairs and stopping the wastage which has created a mini-waterfall on my property. Not to mention the damage being done to my lawns.
It’s a downright shame that GWI which preaches water conservation and wise use, would allow thousands of gallons of water to be wasted every hour.
Come on Mr Singh, you are the head of an entity which provides the most basic commodity for human survival. Save it when you can. It is life.
Yours faithfully,
Mahadeo Panchu
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Managing Director Karan Singh of Guyana Water Inc for any comments he may wish to make.
