Lethem residents began receiving an extended power supply yesterday after a part that broke on one of the generators was fixed.
While there was no official word from the Lethem Power Company, President of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Jacqueline D’Aguiar told Stabroek News that her section began receiving electricity from 10 am yesterday and up to 5pm power was still on. Since Thursday, the community was restricted to six hours of electricity daily as different sections received electricity on a rotating basis.
Region Nine Chairman Wilson Lorentino had told Stabroek News that the electricity supply in Lethem was expected to be stabilised by Saturday afternoon as a part which was flown out of theborder town to be repaired was expected back then. He had called for the quick replacement of the main generator as the entire community was feeling the impact of the erratic power supply.
D’Aguiar had said that despite numerous calls for a long-term reliable electricity supply for Lethem, this has not happened and residents are fed-up of the situation.
Up to Saturday, the community was experiencing prolonged power outages after a generator failed on Thursday, the latest in a string of power woes that has plagued the community on the Guyana-Brazil border. The main generating set failed about two months ago and since then the growing town has been powered by two smaller generators but the community experienced constant blackouts since the generators could not cope with the demand.
Lorentino said Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, at a recent meeting in the town, said that a generator would be purchased but it would take about three to four months to bring it into the country. He called for action to be sped up, since the entire community is feeling the impact, including businesses.
