THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has disconnected water supply from three of the city’s municipal markets, owing to outstanding monies owed.

Public Relations Officer at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Ms. Debra Lewis, told Guyana Chronicle on Monday that the disconnection began with Bourda Market and continued with the Stabroek and Albouystown Markets. To date, the three markets are still without water, and a meeting between GWI and M&CC is fixed for some time next week.

Mayor Ubraj Narine asked for an update on the issue when the council met for its fortnightly statutory meeting at City Hall yesterday. Acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry, responded that she was in talks with the chairman of GWI’s Board of Directors.

Councillor Patricia Chase-Green said that such an urgent issue requires the town clerk to state exactly when, “a date and a time”, when the two bodies will meet to iron out the issues.
Harry repeated that a meeting will be held with GWI sometime next week.

Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved an increase in rates and tariffs by GWI, and has given the company several deadlines to improve its water services so that they can meet international standards. In an order released on June 7, 2018, the PUC approved the rates increase be implemented in two phases beginning on October 1, 2018 and again on October 1, 2019 to help alleviate the financial burden on consumers.

These changes came after GWI indicated that its revenue streams are insufficient to meet its operating costs and the utility was still operating under the 2005 tariff regime. From October 1, 2018, metered residential consumers started to pay a monthly fixed charge of $250 and a monthly consumption charge of $86 per m3 for those in the $60.90 category while all others will pay $112 per m3.

From October 1, 2019, all metered residential consumers will pay a monthly fixed charge of $500 and a monthly consumption charge of$112 per m3. For unmetered residential consumers, there was a monthly fixed charge of $250 in 2018 to be increased to $500 in 2019, while the monthly consumption charge for 2018 stood at $1,100, and is to be increased to $1,450 in 2019.

Metered non-residential consumers in 2018 paid a monthly fixed charge and a monthly consumption charge of $250 and $125 per m3 respectively, and $500 and $150 per m3 respectively for 2019.

Unmetered non-residential small commercial and small industrial consumers were billed monthly fixed and monthly consumption charges of $250 and $2,200 respectively in 2018 and $500 and $3,000 respectively in 2019.

Unmetered non-residential, medium commercial and medium industrial consumers paid $250 and $5,700 for monthly fixed and monthly consumption charges in 2018, and $500 and $8,000 for same in 2019.

Unmetered non-residential large commercial and large industrial consumers paid (in fixed charges) $13,000 in 2018 and $15,000 in 2019; and $21,000 in 2018 and $24,000 in 2019, respectively.