By Antonio Dey
Residents of Penny Lane, South Ruimveldt Gardens yesterday breathed a sigh of relief after water was restored to their homes following several days of disruption due to a broken water main.
This water disruption prompted them to vent their frustration on Friday night by burning tires which had to be extinguished by members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS). The Guyana Police Force (GPF) was also on the scene in an effort to bring some calm to the situation
Residents told this newspaper that the prolonged disruption of water supply was very inconveniencing as they were solely dependent on it to get things done around the home.
“I had to use water from the trench just to flush my toilet,” one resident lamented.
“Something drastic [protesting and burning tires] had to be done in order to get the attention of the Guyana Water Incorporated [GWI] as we reported the incident to them and no one showed up”, another resident contended.
The residents confirmed that following the protest actions, the GFS delivered water to them while GWI was working to restore water to their homes.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Councillor of Constituency 14 (South Ruimveldt Park/Ruimveldt Industrial estate), Kibwe Copeland, told the Sunday Stabroek via video recording that GWI did not cause the water disruption. It was a contractor who unintentionally broke a few pipelines while conducting works in the community.
However, after his intervention, the utility remedied the situation and water was restored at approximately 6 am yesteday.
Copeland noted that this could have been avoided if only the contractor was supervised and knew the location of the water mains.
“Many times, contractors are hired to do work and they take the work for granted. Once they are well supervised, they would know where the main channels lie with the direction of GWI.
“Once you are going to disconnect water it is principled for you to consult with the residents first, don’t just come into the area, and cut the water and you don’t say anything, that is not how it is done and we as councillors have to hold these contractors accountable, they must do the right thing,” the APNU Councillor asserted.
Meanwhile, GWI in a press statement said that Penny Lane residents experienced a temporary water service disruption, leading to charges of a four-day delay in addressing the issue.
The water agency in the release said that the service disruption began on Thursday due to damage caused by Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company (Guyana) Inc. to the GWI main on Aubey Barker Road, which went unreported. It was only on Friday, October 29, that the residents filed their report, contradicting their earlier claims.
The release read, “GWI is pleased to report that the water main responsible for the disruption has been successfully repaired.”
As such, GWI urged all contractors to exercise extreme caution when working near vital infrastructure to prevent future disruptions and warned that it would not take such incidents lightly.
“Furthermore, GWI unequivocally states that such actions will not be tolerated, and necessary measures will be taken to hold those responsible accountable.”
The statement said that this incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of maintaining the community and essential infrastructure and underscores the need for responsible and cautious conduct by all contractors operating in the area.
GWI reassured the community of its unwavering commitment to ensuring the continued reliability of the water supply.
