Dear Editor,
Low pressure, a brown colour and a bitter taste (for years on end) have left residents of the La Penitence housing area asking why the quality of the water they receive is substandard. Being a stone’s throw away from the Vlissengen water conservancy and GWI well and not receiving an adequate flow to reach the second storey of homes in the area is utterly ridiculous!
Unlike their fellow citizens who live in ‘prestigious’ neighbourhoods such as Prashad Nagar and Bel Air Park who receive clean water (as far up as the third storey), the residents of La Penitence (who can afford it) have been forced to install electric pumps to ensure a steady flow from the tap.
Laundry day has become a new challenge for residents who have to do battle with the trench-brown water when doing their whites; a quick dab and extra bleach (which is a burden on the pocket) to ensure that clothes aren’t stained by the water which flows through the tap. Those who have the luxury of overhead tanks that collect rainwater for drinking and washing thrive to some extent during the rainy season. Enter the dry season with little or no rain, turning to the ‘trench’ tap is the only option.
A new line of defence is being followed when taking personal baths. Residents have resorted to adding disinfectant to bath water so as to prevent possible skin outbreaks. In addition to the poor quality of water, at 10.30 pm water to the home is unceremoniously cut off. How much longer must we accept the suffering that has been foisted on us? When will it end?
Yours faithfully,
Mayhew Dyer
