AFTER residents of Region Six took protest action outside of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) office at Chesney, Berbice, over several issues, the water company said it remains committed to improving the water quality and services.
The villagers protested mainly about the water quality, the company’s billing system and its new rates.

However, GWI said in a press release, that the East Berbice-Corentyne Region had seen continuous improvement in the supply, quality and level of water services.
It added that water quality at the utility’s facilities was continuously monitored to ensure that customers received the best quality of water possible. More specifically, monitoring of the Number 63 and Number 69 pump stations, which serve Number 61-74 villages, had, over the past two months, shown that the water quality was within the parameters of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

GWI said iron, which may be aesthetically displeasing, was not harmful to health and the two pump stations had, over the past two months, recorded low iron content. Every effort was made to flush the pipelines on a weekly basis, so as to preserve water quality.
Further, checks on Monday 14th January, 2019, at several prominent locations served by the aforementioned facilities, showed pressures ranging from 15-20 feet. Those included number 64 Health Center and Secondary School, Number 72 Primary and Nursery Schools and the Number 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the water company added.

In its continued effort to improve its service, GWI, on Thursday, January 10, 2019, at Port Mourant, commissioned a new well which serves some 20,000 residents from Tain to Albion and has resulted in distribution hours being increased from eight hours to 16 hours.
Additionally, the company is presently working to re-commission the Williamsburg well on Tuesday, 15th January, 2019. Such would facilitate a 24-hour supply of water to residents in communities which include Belvedere, Tain, Hampshire, Port Mourant, Rose Hall and Williamsburg.

Further, in response to the statements by protestors regarding the company’s billing system, GWI wishes to categorically state that Region Six boasts 97 per cent bill delivery efficiency and recorded 100 per cent bill distribution in December, 2018.

GWI also wishes to take this opportunity to highlight that its harmonisation of rates is an incremental one which took effect on October 1, 2018 and was approved by the Public Utilities Commission. That was done following three public hearings which saw members of the public being given the opportunity to raise their concerns.

Contrary to the utterances of the protestors, GWI has made special provision for pensioners in its harmonisation of rates, with that category of persons being exempted from paying the new fixed monthly charge of $250.

Additionally, metered pensioners now pay a charge of $74 per cubic meter (m3) for the first 10m3 and $86 for each m3 used thereafter. Unmetered pensioners pay a rate of $740 per month.

GWI wishes to reassure all of its customers that the Board of Directors, Management and staff remains committed to the continuous advancement of the water sector, providing our valued customers with the highest quality of service.