– following advent of the COVID-19

By Navendra Seoraj

WITH social distancing being one of the recommended measures to guard against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), employers, in some cases, have decided to “shut shop”. And, with employees being left to balance their finances the best way they could, the Guyana Water Incorporation (GWI) has expressed a willingness to “work with” those persons to address payment of bills.

GWI, which is one of the nation’s utility companies, has increased their efforts in order to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, said GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles during a press briefing on Thursday.

When asked if GWI has considered that persons are, in some cases, being sent on no-pay leave, Dr. Charles said such cases have not presented themselves to the water company, but customers are free to engage them.

“Customers can come in and verify this, and we will work with you,” he said, adding that GWI’s doors are always open.

The water company will, however, continue its routine meter-reading exercise, and has even asked that persons ensure that they keep paying their bills on time. The Company says that all its call centres will be operational, and E-billing will also be facilitated, once requested.

In further considering the recommendation of “social distancing”, GWI, while not ruling out the option of persons making payments at its various offices, is encouraging persons to utilise alternative payment agencies such as Bill Express, SurePay, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT)’s MMG service and even commercial banks.
“We will need money to purchase chemicals and reagents, and ensure other inputs are available,” Dr. Charles said, noting that water is a crucial element when it comes to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

He said the water company is doing its best to ensure the production of water across the country, and that it remains adequate so that consumers can have easy and reliable access to it.

ADEQUATE WATER
“GWI has sought to ensure that the production across the country is adequate to guarantee that our customers and the population at large have access to water to engage in public health practices such as hand washing.

“All of our executive directors have been dispatched, and they have completed their work in all of the regions to ensure that the offices are adequately staffed, taking into consideration that some members of the staff would have children between the ages of 1-12 years old at home,” said Dr. Charles.

He said that if an employee is unable to make provisions for their children to be in proper care, they will be allowed to stay at home. And in an effort to fill the gaps which may arise through this effort, the water company has mandated each executive director to work with its regional managers and staff to ensure that solutions are in place, whether in the form of staff rotation or working from home.

While there may be limited human resources, Dr. Charles said GWI is working to ensure that all of the company’s offices are equipped with the necessary supplies.

In areas such as Mabaruma in Region One (Barima-Waini) and Amelia’s Ward (Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), where there is trouble with water production, GWI will be putting systems in place to “truck” water into the communities, so that residents would have an adequate supply.

The four quarantine centres which were established by the Ministry of Public Health for persons diagnosed with, or suspected to have, COVID-19 have also been supplied with adequate water.

With the necessary systems in place, GWI will be looking to continue the smooth flow of their service. In this regard, the water company has advised customers to be on the lookout for persons purporting to be employees of the company, who are visiting communities and disconnecting water supply.

“We ask you to beware of people moving around in communities attempting to remove your service, and asking that you pay; this is not a legal activity, and I ask you to report any such activity that has been seen in communities across the country,” said Dr. Charles.