–provides unregularised community with potable water

WALKING long distances to fetch water is now a thing of the past for the residents of Tucville Terrace, following the intervention of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
Tucville Terrace is a small squatting area in suburban Georgetown, which is seeking to become regularised. While this is yet to be done, GWI’s Managing-Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, has responded to a request by village representatives to provide water service connections to the families there.
Now, some 25 households, inclusive of children and babies, have access to 24-hour potable water in their homes.

Following the laying of the new pipelines and installation of new service connections, Chairperson of GWI’s Board of Directors and Georgetown Mayor, Ms. Patricia Chase-Green, Dr. Van-West Charles and other GWI officials visited the area on Saturday to take a look at the work that has been done and speak with the beneficiaries.
Dr. Van-West Charles said he was happy to intervene, after being approached by Ms. Patricia Fraser, a village representative, some four months ago.

He explained that although providing new service connections for the area was not on the cards, the decision was made to invest resources to make it happen.
Dr. Van-West Charles commended Ms. Fraser for her boldness in approaching GWI, and encouraged residents to cooperate with each other with the aim of improving the quality of life for their community.
Ms. Chase-Green encouraged them to take the next step, which is to approach the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to become regularised.
She even pledged to work with them in ensuring that the village is equipped with the basic amenities by means of the correct procedures.
Ms. Fraser, in turn, thanked Dr. Van-West Charles and his staff for responding promptly to the village’s request, and relieving residents of their prolonged burden of having to depend on the rain or fetch water from far distances.
“I thank Dr. Van-West Charles that when I make the approach, that he listened and then he called Mr. Pearson,” she said, adding:
“And I would thank all of them, because they give us their promise and they never fall down on it.”

Many of the other beneficiaries also expressed their gratitude at having access to running water for the first time.
“I feel very good to be getting water after so many years, and I am glad that this could be put in place. Instead of you deh thiefing water and these sorta things, you pay for it,” said Mr. Linden Adams, who is a member of a family of five.
Another resident, one Mr. Terrence, noted, “I living here for the past 25 years; it was a good step that GWI made, because this is what we been needing because we are people; not because they call the land squatting.”

Ms. Abena Lyken, who has been living in Tucville Terrace for some 19 years, said, “This is the first time we getting legal water, and to me, it’s the best thing. “Sometimes we used to rely on the rain, ‘cause not every time you want go at people place to get water.”
GWI stands committed to ensuring all residents gain equal access to potable water throughout Guyana.