Dear Editor,
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the nation’s supplier of water and sanitation services, wishes to respond to statements made in the June 23 article published in the Stabroek News, captioned ‘Linden Councillor protests water quality.’
Following the report a team consisting of members of GWI’s Scientific Services and Public Relations Departments was dispatched to Speightland, Lower Kara Kara, Linden.
The investigation revealed that while residents indicated that the water supply contained iron, consistent flushing of the pipelines by GWI’s Linden Division had improved the quality of the water. According to Mr G DaSilva, a resident of Lower Kara Kara, the only complaint about the water supply was the colour. “The water was very brown a few weeks ago,” stated Mr. DaSilva, “however I saw the GWI workers coming around to flush the lines and after that there was tremendous improvement.” DaSilva stated that he was pleased with the colour of the water and that he had not heard of anyone in the community complaining about water-related illnesses. He stated that his household would utilize water supplied by GWI for domestic purposes. No member of his family became sick from consuming the water.
Similar discussions with other residents of Lower Kara Kara revealed that residents utilized numerous sources of water which included GWI’s supply, the Kara Kara Creek and rain-water harvesting. GWI provides safe water by way of its treatment facilities and well stations and will not accept responsibility for water provided by other sources.
Further, the article indicated that the Linden Councillor made claims that GWI’s water was responsible for instances of dengue and malaria. The company wishes to state that the diseases referred to in the article are vector diseases caused by mosquitoes. The fact that the article made no attempt to clarify the uninformed position of the councillor reveals gross unprofessionalism by the media house and a lack of proper research.
Speaking with a senior member of GWI’s Linden team a local health care worker familiar with the Speightland community indicated that there were no abnormal instances of water related diseases or illnesses in the Speightland, Lower Kara Kara community. Another health care professional who was interviewed by the visiting GWI team indicated that there is much to be desired with regard to the storage of water and the hygiene practices of some residents in the community. The health care professional indicated that on several occasions they were required to visit residents to provide education on correct hygiene and safe water storage.
GWI wishes to advise that in the production of treated water the company adheres strictly to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
GWI ensures that water leaving its treatment facilities and well stations is safe. However, the company has advised that customers must adopt improved hygiene practices to avoid contaminating water. According to GWI’s Scientific Services Manager, Savitri Jetoo, the issue of contamination by customers is quite prevalent. “Most Guyanese utilize black tanks, but how often are these tanks cleaned to avoid contamination by rodents and insects which may enter the tank?” asked Jetoo; “we have also noted customers leaving their buckets uncovered which allows for numerous
instances of contamination. In some cases the way in which customers retrieve water from buckets leads to contamination.”
Further, GWI wishes to advise that in instances of power supply disruptions and maintenance, treatment facilities cannot supply water. However, the company has consistently issued advisories via the local television station indicating the cause of the service disruption. According to GWI’s Divisional Operations Manager, Linden, Rawle Friday, all significant disruptions are broadcast via NCN Linden. The company is in possession of documentation to support Mr Friday’s statement. Hence, Mr Jainarine’s claim that residents are not informed of service disruptions cannot be substantiated. Further, GWI wishes to state that several checks have revealed that no attempt to contact GWI’s Public Relations Department was made by Stabroek News. The media house has made contact through several means of communication with personnel from the department in the past; none of these was utilized to obtain a comment regarding the protest incident.
GWI wishes to advise all customers who have queries regarding water quality to contact the company’s Customer Services Call Centre on 227-8701. The company continues to partner with all stakeholders in the interest of maintaining a safe water supply for all Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Timothy Austin
Public Relations Officer
Guyana Water Incorporated
Editor’s note
The Stabroek News Linden reporter phoned the Linden office of GWI asking for the number of the PRO in Georgetown. She was given a switchboard number which she rang and was put on hold for a very long time. She eventually hung up, and subsequently called again, but was once more placed on hold for a lengthy period without being transferred to anyone in the Public Relations Office.