For weeks residents of ‘A’ Field Sophia have been without water. It should be murals that remind us of times when people stood in lines waiting for their turn to fill buckets to fetch water to their homes.
Some have projected that Guyana could become like Dubai because of our impressive oil discoveries. Perhaps we are waiting to provide efficient services to all the people only then. Perhaps then Sophia and other communities that have been neglected will finally be prioritised.
There is no doubt GWI has made progress. The cost for water is affordable. However, some communities in Guyana have only recently gained access to potable water. That indicates that GWI has not managed to fully and adequately serve all the Guyanese people. A squatting area in Number 65 Village Berbice, for example, only gained access to potable water a few months ago. I am sure there are communities still waiting.
I am sure, too, that GWI believes it is providing excellent service to the Guyanese people. I do love that we now have 24-hour water supply – at least this is the case where I live. We have been told that it is safe to drink the water from the tap. Though I must say that the quality of the water seems to have improved from a few years ago, I would not risk drinking it.
Nevertheless, with all the progress GWI has made, in September of 2020 it is unacceptable that people have been without water for weeks. To be grappling with the coronavirus and not having access to water is a dire situation. Perhaps the reason they have not protested is that the people of Sophia have become so accustomed to being neglected.
Why are there still water disruptions in Guyana? One would imagine that in this time of COVID-19 as soon as a report is made every effort to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible would be employed.
It was reported on social media a couple of weeks ago. This week I was surprised to see the issue highlighted again. They have been promising the people to fix it “tomorrow” but tomorrow has not arrived yet. They chose to respond this week by visiting the area once they were tagged in post on social media. But up to the time of writing, the issue was still not yet resolved.
In this time of COVID-19 the least our service providers can do is ensure that our essential needs are not affected. Many people are home with their children. There is sickness and death all around us. One of the ways we have been told to fight the coronavirus is by keeping ourselves and our surroundings clean. How are people to maintain cleanliness if there is no water? GWI’s slow response is unacceptable and disrespectful. What qualifies as an emergency?
Certainly, I have to also wonder if they have not resolved this issue because it is affecting people in Sophia. We know how Sophia has been marginalised. We know how the community has been painted with a brush of criminality even though it is people of all backgrounds and professions that live there. The people in Sophia are no different from those anywhere else in Guyana. Let’s not pretend that criminals do not live in every community in this country, even the gated ones.
Had this been an issue in an area like Prashad Nagar or Bel Air Park for example, would it continue for weeks? What are people supposed to do? Rely on the trench water? Walk miles to fetch water? Buy water and use it for all their needs? Hope that the rain falls every day?
Some families are fortunate to have tanks and have indeed managed to collect the rainwater and that is how some have been surviving. Some are kind enough to assist their neighbours. Some people have been buying water. The people of ‘A’ Field, Sophia, deserve an apology.
GWI, part of your motto is “water is life.” Is it not life also for the people of ‘A’ Field, Sophia? The way you have dealt with this issue suggests that you do not really care.
Accept the challenge to do better; not only for the people of Sophia, but around the country.
A child’s plight
There was another issue recently in Sophia that concerned me. I am passionate when it comes to the protection of children. The fact that children are the most vulnerable and unprotected group in Guyana is troubling.
A few days ago, it was reported on social media that a child was raped at knifepoint in Sophia a few weeks ago. Her mother was at work. A man entered their home and raped her. I was told that this man is his thirties. The child was removed from the home when the authorities became involved. Her mother is deeply troubled. Of course, the child is traumatised. She is having nightmares.
It was painful to read about the attack. I was particularly disturbed by hearing that the child screamed and that while relatives and neighbours heard no one went to investigate. Is it that they just did not care? Or perhaps they feared the rapist. But if the village that was supposed to help protect that child reacted and apprehended this man during or immediately after the rape, would he be able to escape, or harm all of them? If the police apprehended him immediately and he was locked up without being granted bail, as all rapists should be, what could he do?
At the time of writing this, the rapist has not been apprehended. It was alleged that he was accused of rape before. The police are said to be looking for him, but weeks have passed and they reportedly cannot find him. I have very little confidence in the Guyana Police Force. I respect all those officers who do their jobs to the best of their ability and truly care about solving crimes and justice. But the others who do not care and are incompetent, they should not be a part of the Police Force. They are the bad apples that spoil the whole bunch.
With the rape of this child, society has failed her. To be surrounded by relatives and other neighbours, screaming while being violated by a beast and no one choosing to help speaks to how far some of our people have degenerated. My thoughts are with the child and her mother. I hope there will be justice and healing.
