Dear Editor,
We the residents of Lethem are appealing to the rightful authority to act quickly to alleviate the difficulty faced in accessing potable water which has never been seriously addressed by successive Governments and is getting worse by the day.
Firstly the water is not treated and distributed at a reasonable pressure to consumers, rather it is pumped directly from the wells with only a small domestic water filter in the system. The water distributed has scales and therefore is not fit for drinking and has stiffening effects on the hair and skin when bathing.
There are no elevated water storage tanks used in the distribution of water so proper water pressure is non-existent. At certain times there is literally muddy water coming through the pipes. When a power outage occurs the pump stops and water ceases to flow until the return of electricity which in most cases lasts for the entire day. Another reason for overhead distribution tanks.
Some residents have hand dug wells to access drinking water which usually dries up during the dry season with them having to purchase water at $600 per bottle thereafter. It’s even harder for people who don’t have wells. Most business places paid high prices to get deep wells drilled to ensure adequate potable water supply.
With this said, places deemed business places including small landlords are required to pay for water consumed and are therefore metered. Along with the current charges a fixed charge is also included in the bill.
Since the Water Authority office is fully staffed and equipped with computers, air conditioners and top of the line vehicles we expect a better service without the extra burden of having to spend more money for potable water.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick Fitzpatrick.