-Housing Minister tells Buxton residents
MINISTER of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali yesterday met with residents of Buxton, Friendship and surrounding villages at the Buxton/Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council, East Coast Demerara.
Minister Ali told residents his visit was a result of a mandate by President Bharrat Jagdeo for the members of Cabinet to ensure that the promises made to the people of Buxton and its environs were fulfilled.
Part of that promise was ensuring a better water supply for residents, Minister Ali said. He noted that meetings of that nature ensured the building of partnerships for the future and that these would ultimately ensure the development of Guyana.
Recently, the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) embarked on an aggressive campaign to improve the water supply to residents on the East Coast of Demerara, including Buxton, Friendship, Foulis, Vigilance, Eastville, Strathspey and Bladen Hall.
Newly appointed divisional manager of GWI, Marlon Daniels, assured residents that these improvements in their area began by first upgrading the capacity of the Friendship plant to pump twice its original capacity. Thereafter, maintenance work was conducted in the line system to ensure that potable water reached every residence, Daniels explained.
In sharing their concerns about the water supply system in their various communities, the residents’ complaints varied from no water in some quarters to exorbitant bills in others and the concern that they were soon going to be metered for an inefficient water supply.
The announcement by Minister Ali, that any customer being billed for water during verified periods of non-service from GWI would have those bills written off, was met by thunderous applause by the scores of residents gathered in the auditorium.
The Minister was adamant though that in this new dispensation, residents must commit to paying their bills, in a timely manner for the water that they would have consumed. He explained that Government is spending in excess of $300M on the interconnectivity of the East Coast Demerara and urged residents to move away from the culture of wastage as the extraction of water, as a resource, is extremely costly.  More than 60 percent of water supply is subsidized by Central Government, Minister Ali said.
Acknowledging those communities as having overcome many challenges, the Minister said what was needed now, with this new thrust by the GWI, was greater policing of the water supply by residents. Minister Ali urged residents to report instances of leakages within the system and to hold the company accountable if repairs are not done in a timely manner. This, he suggested, could be done when residents insist on reference numbers and report instances of tardiness on the part of GWI officials, noting that the way water is consumed affects the efficiency of the system.
On the question of metering of the residences, Minister Ali explained that the purpose of the device is to ensure water conservation, not GWI’s revenue base. In Goed Fortuin, for example, Minister Ali said residents there have reported more savings with the new metering system.
He assured the residents that GWI’s mandate is to work with the people in ensuring a better quality of life for them by providing an efficient potable water system. He pointed out that for residents with special needs or who are unable to pay their bills, there is a system of payment that can be entered into with the company. Pensioners, the Minister noted, are granted a waiver of $8900 under a social service programme from the Government, but was adamant that more than that sum, the difference would have to be met by the consumer.
Also attending the meeting was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Water, Emil McGarrell, Chief Executive Officer, GWI, Yuri Chandisingh, NDC chairman Randolph Blair and other executives of GWI.  (GINA)