Dear Editor,
Blackouts continue to paralyse the entire Essequibo Coast, affecting production in the various sectors, especially the rice millers who are buying farmers’ paddy and milling it for local and overseas markets; their entire operation has to close down when blackouts strike suddenly. Harvesting is in full swing for the Spring crop, but the millers cannot use their dryers to dry the paddy with the constant blackouts. The milling operations have had to cease too; businessmen, banks, schools, hospitals, health centres and police stations are all feeling the heat. I have been advocating in many letters to Stabroek News for two new Wartsila engines and a standby generator as a back-up.
The blackouts started way back under the PNC administration. Cheddi Jagan had brought two new Wartsila plants to Anna Regina when he assumed office in 1992 to service the entire Essequibo Coast. We were happy when these two engines started to generate power; there were no more blackouts after that. When he died and Bharrat Jagdeo took over the reins of power from Janet Jagan, no maintenance was done on these plants, and after a while they started to develop problems and the blackouts came back to haunt Essequi-bians. It got worse when Ramotar took over from 2011 to 2015.
It was blackout mania every day and night; some businessmen couldn’t take it anymore and they bolted from the country, and set up their businesses in another man’s land. I remember listening to one of Ramotar’s 2015 election meetings opposite my house. As soon as he took the podium to speak, the blackout came with a vengeance. Luckily at the corner where the meeting was held, a supermarket had a pole with a floodlight and the owner had a standby generating set and the President was able to talk for a short while. The meeting was cut short and he then went to Devonshire Castle for another public meeting where he suffered the same fate.
Coming back to the coalition government, as soon as it assumed office in May 2015, things at Anna Regina began to take shape for the better. There were no more blackouts, and Essequibians thought that things were back to normal. We were happy once again, and more businesses began to sprout up across the coast. We had 24/7 regular electricity without any disruption for the whole of 2015 and 8 months into 2016. Then suddenly we started to experience some short blackouts, but about 2 weeks ago, the blackouts came back and started to paralyse the economy, some lasting as much as 8 hours.
What I find now is that there is a rotation of electricity: 4 hours from Anna Regina to Suddie and 4 hours from Anna Regina to Charity. This goes on until the next day, and people are suffering terribly without their fans and air conditioners, since the heat is unbearable both at night and during the day. Some people are getting sick and have to be seen by a doctor. The coast must have a regular and varied supply of energy to boost the production sector.
I was made to understand that two new Wartsila plants are billed to arrive on the coast soon. This is good news and all Essequibians welcome it, but I would like to share a word of advice to Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson: nothing will ever last without maintenance. When those engines are installed here they should be serviced regularly, and competent and qualified engineers should be employed to care for them. We have suffered enough with blackouts.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
