Dear Editor,
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the nation’s supplier of water and sanitation services, wishes to address the statements in Stabroek News, October 2, 2013 in the letter titled ‘Low water pressure at Uitvlugt Sideline Dam.’
The following attempts to answer the concerns stated by the author:
The Uitvlugt community receives water on a 24-hour basis from the Leonora Well
Station; GWI’s Pouder-oyen team has stated that there were no other complaints regarding inadequate levels of service in the community. GWI’s divisional team conducted an investigation on October 2, 2013 and reported that customers were receiving adequate service. However, we are asking the author to provide his full address in order to conduct an investigation since this may be an isolated problem affecting the customer’s service.
GWI’s Divisional Operations Manager Eson Pearson has reported that GWI is currently installing water service connections in the Zeelugt community; no activity regarding water meters is currently being conducted in Zeelugt. Perhaps the author can provide more details regarding his statements about the installation of meters.
Further, Zeelugt customers do not receive service at a particular time to accommodate the purification process at the Vergenoegen Water Treatment Plant which serves the community. The facility ceases distribution in order to adequately treat water and replenish the storage tank. This is done during off peak periods to avoid inconveniencing customers.
GWI depends on the electricity supply from the Guyana Power and Light Company to provide water service country-wide; power disruptions affect our ability to provide service and treatment plants require adequate time to replenish their storage facilities even after power supply has returned. Hence, normal water service resumes about 30 minutes after electricity is restored to GWI facilities.
Regarding the colour of the water received by customers of Non Pareil, GWI wishes to advise that this has resulted from the high iron content in the water. Guyana’s soil content is naturally high in iron and as such the water extracted by GWI from aquifers (underground sources of water) will contain iron. However, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Standards, which function as a guide for GWI, iron is not hazardous to health. Customers are advised to utilize filtration systems or to allow the iron in the water to ‘settle’ by leaving the supply in a covered bucket for about 5 minutes.
We hope that the aforementioned provides clarity to the author and wish to thank your publication for consistently highlighting the issues which affect our customers. We appreciate your assistance. Should the author have further questions he may call our Public Relations Department or e-mail pro@gwi.gy Alternatively, questions can be posted via GWI’s Facebook fan-page at www.facebook. com/everydropcountsgy
Yours faithfully,
Timothy Austin
Public Relations Officer
Guyana Water Incorporated
