The publication of a list of the most serious concerns faced by consumers during the current year may, with a little luck, induce some improvements for the coming year. Let us look at these concerns.
Guyana Water Inc: By its licence, Guyana Water Inc is required to achieve the following:
“Coverage: It is required to provide 90% of the coastal population with safe water whether through a connection to the network, standpipes, licensed borehole or other means, by no later than five years from 2002 and in that same period of time it shall ensure that safe water is available to or supplied to 80% of all settlements in the Hinterland through sustainable and cost effective locally appropriate
means as developed by GWI.
“By no later than five years from the effective date (2002) GWI is required to provide 24 hours continued service of pressured water supply at a minimum of five meters of consumers’ premises to the coastal population including Georgetown.”
The supply of water over the last week to a height of two metres to residents in Georgetown illustrates how far GWI is from achieving the target set in the licence. Is GWI to be allowed to continue in this fashion?
The consumer representative on the Board of Directors at GWI was removed with three others, including the Mayor of Georgetown. We do not know who has replaced him as our representative.
The merger of the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners with the Guyana Water Authority has not been favourable to Georgetown.
The Guyana Power and Light Inc has dared to publish in last Sunday’s Chronicle a list which it describes as estimated consumption per month for electrical equipment.
The Guyana Consumers Association has time and again complained about these estimates. GPL estimates that a refrigerator, any refrigerator, will consume 90 units monthly.
This is far from the truth. There are small refrigerators, office refrigerators and others, that consume much less. Yet this is the estimate that GPL will use when inspecting homes, particularly in rural areas.
When the consumer’s consumption does not match this estimate, it is alleged that the consumer is tampering with the meter. He/she is then billed for two years according to this chart. GPL’s disconnection team never seem to be interested in how the equipment is used.
Other issues of concern are: Climate Change
Women’s cricket and the development of women’s sports: We need a woman to oversee this.
VAT: There is need to have all food items and food supplements excluded from VAT. Special rules should be made for slow-selling items.
A law school
Improvement in prisons
Domestic violence: Sending a violent man to jail does not improve his temper. Threatened women should be protected.
Control of motorists with the urge to speed.
