Monday March 22 was recognized internationally as World Water Day. Stabroek News carried messages from Guyana Water Incor-porated (GWI) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The theme for this year is ‘Clean Water for a Healthy World.’ There’s a pledge published and I take this opportunity to bring it to the attention to all consumers.
“I pledge to be water wise and utilize these conservation methods.
“Desist from washing my yard, driveway, pavement and vehicle (use a hard broom for your yard and a damp cloth for your car).
“Repair all leaks in my home (a dripping faucet wastes 18 gallons of water per day).
“Designate one glass for my drinking water purposes (save water by washing fewer utensils).
“Desist from using a hose or power jet spray. Buckets help you to manage the amount of water you use and curb wastage.”
In the Stabroek News of Tuesday, March 23, there is a headline, ‘Waste water kills mlns of children, pollutes sea.’ It states in a Reuters message:
“ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Human beings are flushing millions of tonnes of solid waste into rivers and oceans every day, poisoning marine life and spreading diseases that kill millions of children annually, the UN said yesterday.
“The sheer scale of dirty water means more people now die from contaminated and polluted water than from all forms of violence including wars,” the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
“In a report entitled ‘Sick Water’ for World Water Day, UNEP said the two million tones of waste, which contaminates over two billion tones of water daily, had left huge ‘dead zones’ that choke coral reefs and fish.
“It consists mostly of sewage, industrial pollution, pesticides from agriculture and animal waste.” The report said a lack of clean water was killing 1.8 million children under five every year.
In today’s mail there is a copy of a letter from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to the Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Water Inc, dealing with estimated billings. The PUC points out that consumers have been making complaints concerning GWI’s billing procedures where GWI sends ‘estimated’ billings for huge sums and for as much as three years past.
The PUC notes that the issue seems to be that GWI does not have sufficiently qualified personnel to read the meters, and the commission is of the view that it is unacceptable for GWI to dispatch bills to consumers without knowing how much water is actually consumed.
In Nyam News issue of August 1&2, 2001 water is described as the ‘liquid of life.’
* Water is used by the body for the transport of soluble substances.
It carries some of the other nutrients and solutes in the blood to where they are needed in the body and it also transports waste material out of the body as a component of urine, faeces and sweat.
* It is necessary for biochemical reactions in the body either by acting as a medium for some reactions to take place in, or by taking part in the reaction.
* It is a structural component of the body’s cells, providing form or shape.
* It acts as a cushion for the body’s tissues and organs preventing damage due to shock. It also acts as a lubricant for joints.
* Saliva, which is mostly water, moistens our food, making it easier to travel through the digestive system and making it easier for the salivary enzymes to begin the process of digestion.
* Water keeps all our body tissues moist so that gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide can pass in and out.
* Water changes temperature slowly, and its presence in the body therefore helps in the regulation of body temperature. Evaporation of sweat from the surface of the body also helps to lower body temperature, thereby having a cooling effect.”
