Thirteen of GWI’s 17 East Coast pump stations operate on a 16-hour basis

Dear Editor,

GWI wishes to respond to Mr N Jodhan’s letter captioned ‘Why is water cut off so early on the East Coast?’ published in the Stabroek News, June 30, 2008. Mr Jodhan stated “… for the last three weeks here on the East Coast the cut-off time for water in the evenings has been getting progressively earlier.”

GWI refutes that vague statement. The company wishes to publicize the following schedule by which its 17 pump stations along the East Coast Demerara operate:

* 13 of the company’s pump stations operate on a 16-hour basis; the pumping hours are from 09:00h to 21:00h.

* The Lusignan Well Station operates on a 24-hour basis.

* The Mon Repos Pumping Station operates on a 12-hour basis: 04:00h to 09:30h and 13:00h to 18:30h.

* The Friendship Well Station operates on a 12-hour basis: 05:00h to 12:00h and 15:00h to 20:00h.

* The Better Hope Pumping Station operates on a 10-hour basis: 05:00h to 10:00h and 14:00h to 19:00h.

Service hours may fluctuate either when there are GPL outages that affect the pump stations, or when there are internal disruptions at the pump stations. In the event of a disruption the company publishes timely advisories for customers. GWI is pleased to announce that there weren’t any significant disruptions over the past months.

GWI acquired an address for Mr Jodhan, and found out that Pigeon Island Chateau Margot, ECD, is served by the LBI Pump Station. This station delivers a daily 16-hour service. The company will conduct a thorough investigation into Mr Jodhan’s report and take corrective measures if a problem is detected.

Yours faithfully,
T. Whyte
Public Relations Department,
Guyana Water Inc