Some residents of Dazzel Housing Scheme at Paradise, East Coast Demerara, reported that they had been without water for three days up to yesterday and many are outraged at the “inhumane treatment” being meted out to them at the hands of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
When Stabroek News visited the housing Scheme on Thursday, residents who could afford it were purchasing bottles of water for drinking as well as cooking. One woman said that “fetching water has become more of a chore than it ever was because it sometimes takes as much as 10 to 15 minutes to full a bucket of water to bathe.”
According to residents, multiple complaints have been made to the GWI about their existing water woes, but they were told on many occasions that nothing was wrong with the well in that area. “If nothing ain’t wrong with the well, then why we ain’t getting water?” asked one man. Another resident stated that when he called to report the situation, he was told that someone would come to investigate the matter, but this promise never materialised.
Stabroek News made several attempts to contact GWI for a comment, but every effort made was unfruitful.
According to an angry resident of the housing scheme, in August of this year, GWI was seen conducting works on the well located in that area. The resident, who asked not to be named, stated that on inquiring, villagers were told that works were being done to improve the supply of water to the community.
Another resident shared that since the works were completed in August the flow of water he had been accustomed to, was no longer being experienced. The resident stated that though the quality of water they were receiving before August was not the best, it was definitely better that what they are receiving now. He also said that the water pressure now being experienced is so low that he finds gross difficulty in trying to fill a bucket.
In addition, the resident said that on several occasions residents of Dazzel went for as much as six days without water.
“We are desperate,” one man said. “Persons are scraping the trench for water.” He said that when he complained to GWI by phone, the staff member who took his complaint retorted, “like you want water till in your kitchen?” The resident asked why it was that he could not demand to have water in his house and said he was appalled and disgusted by the attitude of the GWI staffer.
The man said the last time he received water in his yard was on Tuesday and he has had to resort to buying water since all of his stored rainwater was used up.
A woman who lives in the scheme told Stabroek News that she and others called the company several times to no avail. She is calling on the company to rectify the situation and restore water to her community. She stated that the water, whenever it comes, is brown in colour. She said that water came through her kitchen tap before the work commenced in August.
