Dear Editor,
I live in the community of Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara. For the longest while (too long to remember exactly) this community has been suffering from a serious water shortage and it seems as though the officials at GWI have been playing blind, deaf and dumb to the situation. No one is coming out to offer any explanation whatsoever to the residents of this community. Yet they keep saying, “Pay your bills or suffer the consequences (disconnection).” It makes one wonder; you are suffering from a shortage of the commodity, yet you have to pay the full price. Where are we heading?
It is said that Guyana is a land of many waters but to me, this seems to be more of a fallacy rather than a fact. Isn’t Enmore a part of Guyana? Where is the water then? Eight years ago, I built the lower flat of my home and like so many others I installed an inside toilet and bath. I have had the extremely good fortune of showering three (3) times only ever since the bathroom was built. Am I not really ‘fortunate’? Three showers in eight years.
I am a sugar worker attached to Enmore Estate. I can recall in the ’90s the Enmore well was wholly maintained by the estate (power and labour). I cannot say whether GWI (Guywa at that time) was ever billed by Guysuco for the services provided. However, what I do know is that water woes at that time were non-existent.
In the late ’90s someone came up with a brilliant idea of installing a new pump at Enmore. That was a very excellent idea. However there were setbacks. The original pump was being driven by a 50Hz motor, (the estate supplies 50Hz power) whereas the new pump installed was being driven by a 60Hz motor. This being so, the estate can no longer supply power to that well. GWI now has to depend wholly and solely on GPL which at this point in time cannot adequately meet the power demands of Guyana.
I am certain that if GWI had continued to use a 50Hz motor at the Enmore well then there would have been no water problems whatsoever within that community.
The other point I wish to raise is that on those days when water is available (at extremely low pressure) it seems as though there is no pumping schedule. In the ‘olden’ days water used to be available from 5 am to 9 pm seven days per week. Presently, the operators start and stop the pump in any haphazard manner.
I do hope that these few lines can catch the eye of the relevant authorities so that the problem of water woes within the community of Enmore can be adequately addressed once and forever more.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
