Dear Editor,
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) wishes to respond to the Thursday, 18th March, 2021 Letter to the Editor, titled “Lethem still facing potable water woes,” which was written by Patrick Fitzpatrick. The author in his letter erroneously stated that the water provided to residents of Lethem is not fit for drinking. We wish to place on record that over the past years,
This water is provided to residents from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily from 5 well stations – two in Culvert City, one in Tabatinga, one in Kanuku Drive and one in Bon Success. Testing is done on a monthly basis to ensure that the water supplied from these sources remains safe. Further, Mr. Fitzpatrick in his letter stated that “at certain times there is literally muddy water coming through the pipes.” GWI hereby unequivocally states that muddy water is at no time distributed to residents of Lethem and we have not received such a report over the past months
In fact, all of the wells which serve the residents have systems which shut off the pump if the water level depletes below the pump, in order to prevent the pump from burning. This will ensure that clear water is pumped from these wells at all times. However, it must be noted, if there’s a leak on residents’ service connections, there is a risk of them receiving muddy water through their taps. In this regard, GWI urges residents to report any leaks they observe on the distribution system or fix any leaks within their premises
Mr. Fitzpatrick in his letter stated that the water provided to the residents of Lethem is not distributed at a reasonable pressure. It should be noted that over the years, GWI has increased its water pressure and distribution from the aforementioned pump stations which are providing an adequate supply to residents throughout the municipality. It is the company’s standard operating procedure to operate 4 of the 5 pump stations, with the fifth station, located in Bon Success, being used to complement the water supply system during dry periods when the other wells are not producing adequately. This is the current situation; hence all 5 of the wells are in operation.
Another inaccurate statement made by Mr. Fitzpatrick is that there are no elevated water storage tanks used in the distribution of water. Contrary to this statement, there are currently two elevated storage facilities in Lethem – one in Culvert city and another in Tabatinga. Both of these storage facilities are utilized to provide residents of those respective communities with water via gravity feed during periods of power outage. Other areas in the municipality would experience a disruption to their water supply during such periods. GWI is aware that most residents have storage tanks, so they can still access the water stored in those tanks in period of power outages.
The company is also cognizant of the fact that some residents are using hand dug wells, but also places on record that most residents of Lethem have been provided with a GWI water service connection. These residents are being urged to continue using the water provided by GWI, since hand dug wells can easily become contaminated. We also take this opportunity to urge any resident within Lethem who does not have a service connection to visit our Lethem commercial office and apply for one, which GWI will move to provide. We continue to work towards improving our services across the hinterland and assure our fellow Guyanese that GWI is committed to providing safe water to all and is working to achieve this within the shortest possible time.
Sincerely,
Ramchand Jailal
Executive Director of Hinterland Services
GWI
