– community now connected to GPL’s national grid

Residents of Waiakabra for the first time in decades have received electricity from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).

According to a press statement from GPL, the little community, located just off the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, was in darkness for decades but now there is light and power.
For the first time, residents of Waiakabra now have access to a stable supply of electricity. This access now dispels the need for flambeau and kerosene lamps, generators and candles. This follows a move by GPL to connect Waiakabra to the national grid on December 22, 2019.

The connection came subsequent to an engagement with members of the Community Development Council (CDC) and councillors, where GPL promised to provide power to the community and later delivered on that promise.

Chairman of the CDC, Burston Peters, said efforts to power the community in the past were unsuccessful. It was only when Peters relocated to the community four years ago discussions resumed and were fruitful.

“There were obstacles during the process, we never thought it was possible to have electricity in this community, but it is here today and we’re thankful to GPL for it. The children in the community used their phone lights or generators to do homework, but now they don’t have to. This is real progress in our community,” Mr. Peters said.
With electricity in place, the residents are now carrying out their daily routines with more ease. Some residents have already ventured into small businesses, while others are assessing entrepreneurial avenues to improve their livelihood.

Inez Daniels, the oldest resident in the community, expressed exuberance for the electricity in the community. She recalled the days without electricity which she said were “burdensome.”

Daniels said: “I lived here over 40 years and we did not have electricity and water. Now we have both and I am happy that we no longer have to use flambeau lamps or noisy generators which were very costly for us.
“Plus, for the first time we were able to use fairy lights for Christmas. We are very thankful for the light.”

Another resident, Alisha Jocintha, shed tears of joy while expressing her gratitude for the electricity in the community. Jocintha was particularly happy that her children can now study with ease, rather than with the noisy generators.

She said, “for 15 years I have been spending lots of money in gas for the generator and I am now relieved that we finally have electricity. No more generators, thanks to GPL.”
Other residents were particularly happy that they can now have cold water regularly and watch television shows. Another resident, Richard Oselmo, was happy that he can now walk late at nights without fear.

Public Relations Officer of GPL, Shevon Sears, said GPL is happy to serve the community. She said it was a good opportunity for GPL to provide the necessary infrastructure to supply the community with electricity in time for the holiday season. It was recently reported that GPL delivered a “commendable” service during the holiday season.
The company is usually criticised by the public throughout the year, mainly because of the power outages and usual inconsistences in the delivery of the service. GPL, despite existing challenges, maintained a stable supply of electricity during the Christmas season. This was the second consecutive year that the company was able to deliver such a service during the holiday period.

According to a press statement from GPL, in 2019 there were five shutdowns, an amount which was “unprecedented.” In comparing the amount of shutdowns to previous years, the power company said there were 12 shutdowns in 2018 and 25 in 2017.

“The aim is to completely eliminate these events, even though this will be a challenge until existing generation, Transmission and Distribution (T&D) systems are upgraded,” said GPL.
The company said the improvement in performance had resulted in customers in Demerara, Berbice, Anna Regina, Bartica, Leguan and Wakenaam only experiencing minimal service interruptions, which were largely attributed to localised faults.