“This feels good. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?” Nicole Westford of Hyde Park, East Bank Essequibo said while washing her face for the first time with water piped into her home, thanks to a new service from Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).
“We used to have black tanks catching rainwater and have that run through our pipes and we set up pipelines since 2010 because since then we were promised. However, we now have pipe water!” she told DPI.
Westford is one of over 50 residents in the communities of Hyde Park and Grove, East Bank of Essequibo now enjoying running water in their homes as a result of the recently laid pipes, DPI said.
Manager of the Region Three, GWI Branch, Denise Woolford said that the utility company is currently on a mission to ensure all of Region Three receives service.
“We have a mandate and that is to provide the service to our people and not just any service but quality service. GWI is a service provider and our focus at this point in time is to bring relief to the many residents who suffered a long while now. Providing water to residents of these communities was nothing difficult and it makes us feel nice to know that we are putting smiles on people’s faces. All I will do now is encourage them to pay their bills or face disconnection,” Woolford said.
Another resident, Mala Smith opened her main pipe and proudly displayed running water for the first time in her yard.
“Thank you. We have light, now we have water. I understand everything can’t come at once but we are seeing that development in many forms is coming!”, DPI reported her as saying.