A RECENT water crisis in the mining township of Bartica, which was as a result of a damaged pump, has been remedied, but the dry season continues to pose problems for communities that rely primarily on creeks for water supply.This is according to Chairman of the Bartica Interim Management Committee (IMC), Grifford Marshall.

The Bamford Point Bartica Guyana Water Inc (GWI) location facilitates two intake pumps on site. Those function within the Bartica GWI Water Service System.
However, in recent time, only one of the intake pumps was operational, and due to the malfunctioning of this pump on Monday last, the entire water supply service system was shut down.

This issue did not only affect residents of Bartica, but of other outlying areas such as Potaro Road and the Five Mile Housing Scheme.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, Mr Marshall said the issue was remedied on Saturday last with the re-installation of a serviced intake pump.

This has resulted in residents expressing their profound gratitude for the resumption of the supply system.

Additionally, the other malfunctioning intake pump on the Bamford Point location is expected to be serviced and fully operational, while another will soon be placed at the same location, along with the other two pumping operations.

And while this unexpected mishap has been remedied, another remains — that is, access to water in communities which has no GWI facilities and are adversely affected by the ongoing dry season.

According to the Chairman, the Byderabo and Potaro roads are areas where there are no GWI facilities, which translate to these communities being entirely dependent on natural sources such as creeks.

The dry season has affected communities as in South Rupununi.

“The IMC had intended to take water to these communities every two days because they cannot rely on their natural sources like the creek, due to the dry season. But while we have been trying our best, we have not been able to take treated water to them due to the fact that the pumps were down. But the water which we took could have been used for washing and other purposes,” he said.

The IMC Chairman noted that while these efforts have been ongoing, it must be acknowledged that trucking water into these areas cannot be prolonged, since it is putting a strain on the already limited resources.

In this regard, he committed to ensuring that the issue is raised with the relevant authorities, who are expected to provide a solution at the soonest possible time.

Bartica is one of the three proposed areas to gain township status this year. (Ravin Singh)