Dear Editor,
With the addition of water meters in the Arcadia/Mocha Area on the East Bank of Demerara, the serious question as to the cost for water in a nation with abundance comes into focus. Why does a four-member household pay $20,000 in their water bill? Research shows that an average bill of $15,000 per home monthly in this small village. How ridiculous? This is more than one pays for electricity which we often complain about.
These high rates that are being charged for a simple commodity such as water are being applied upon the poorer class of people. Well over 60% of Arcadia/Mocha’s residents are self-employed. Water rates should be designed to fully recover the costs of providing water by charging customers in accordance with how they contribute to the costs. Schedules of water rates that charge customers in accordance with the cost of service would be efficient from the economic point of view, in that the price of a unit of water would be equal to the cost of the resources used to obtain and deliver that water. With this letter it is hoped that the higher authorities at Guyana Water Inc. hear the cries of the Arcadians and Mochians. We need help. Our water bills are too high.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address sup
plied)