THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on Sunday formally opened an office at Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), in its bid to improve services provided to residents of Region Two and Three.

For the first time, persons who live on the island of Leguan and even those who reside at Ruby, EBE, would no longer have to travel to Pouderoyen, West Coast Demerara (WCD) to conduct business with the water company.

The new office located on the ground floor of the Lotus Mall, is the company’s first commercial office in that part of country, said GWI’s Executive Director of Commercial Services and Customer Relations, Marlon Daniels said.

Daniels explained that the intent is to make GWI’s service accessible to persons who reside on the Essequibo Coast and even on the islands.

“Parika is a gateway to the Essequibo Coast and the islands and even Bartica, so this office will allow us to have better interaction with the public,” he said.
Persons from all parts of the region should be able to benefit from the services they offer, and according to Daniels, they have about 11,000 customers within the area from Tuschen on the EBE to Parika.

He believes that the customer base represents a third of their customers in the entire region. It also has the revenue potential of close to $140 million.
“We intend to recoup the revenue we need to offer better services and improve access to good quality water,” said Daniels.

GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Richard Van-West Charles also alluded to the large revenue-base, but focused his attention on GWI’s intent to change their strategy in order to focus on contact and communication with customers.
Like any other company, customers sit at the centre of their work so they need to provide an efficient service.

Dr. Charles believes that the office, which was established in just four weeks, has the potential to boost their efficiency in that area, especially with the support of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and Regional Democratic Council (RDC).
“We will continue to look at options by which the customers can pay, check their bills and check their balance, plus report to us,” he explained.

According to reports, GWI has started discussions with the Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) as it relates to the telephone company’s E-wallet services.
GWI recently launched its mobile app which allows people to report leakages and breakages by using their phones and electronic devices.

Dr. Charles said the company wants to be ready to respond to the concerns of the customers at any time. He also encouraged persons to report corruption in the GWI offices, noting that the company has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption.
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of GWI, Patricia Chase-Green and councillor of the Parika NDC, Vibert Johnson echoed the sentiments of Dr. Charles.
Johnson said the opening of the office at Parika marks the expansion of the GWI and the office will bring relief to the residents of communities on the EBE. He implored the GWI to continue their expansion and improve efficiency.