Barnwell North on the East Bank of Demerara is to receive potable water for the first time in 15 years, according to a release yesterday from Guyana Water Inc (GWI).
GWI said that Chief Executive, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles at a community meeting organized by residents of Barnwell North and Farm New Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara on Sunday addressed the concerns of residents on service improvements being implemented in the communities.
Following concerns raised by residents about sections of Barnwell North being without access to water service for more than 15 years, the GWI Chief Executive said that the programme is being implemented in phases and within three weeks, the water distribution network will be installed in Fields two to fifteen. The community has in excess of 100 households.
Van West-Charles told the residents that GWI will offer a payment contract for families who may be unable to pay for the installation of the new service connections. The residents and the Chief Executive agreed to the terms of the contract.
‘‘Our aim is to provide for the many families in urgent need of potable water,’ stated the GWI Chief Executive. He added that GWI is offering a flexible payment contract so that families can afford to pay for the new service connections required.
GWI said that the proposal was accepted with applause from residents who were told to visit the GWI Customer Services Office at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara to sign up for payment contracts.
Addressing residents of the Farm New Housing Scheme on the East Bank, which has in excess of 1000 households without access to water service for more than two years, Van West-Charles stated that GWI is prepared to install new water service connections to all Farm residents but the process has been hampered by the vandalising of pipelines installed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
Van West-Charles committed to discussing the matter with the Management of the CH&PA with the aim of repairing the damage caused by the vandalism and beginning the installation of new service connections.
“Residents should be proactive in guarding the infrastructure,” the Chief Executive said, adding that “vandalism significantly affects our ability to provide the community with service. Residents must take ownership of the infrastructure and guard against these criminal acts to ensure that the service will be available for generations to come”.
The GWI Chief Executive was joined at the Barnwell meeting by Chairman of the Barnwell North Farmers Group, Samuel Joyce, Executive Director of Operations, GWI, Joseph Codette, Divisional Manager East Bank Demerara, Orion Dhanraj and Asst. Divisional Manager, Laurie David.
