Constant disruptions and low level of service due to pipelines being broken during road works and by miners, clogged lines, unauthorized connections and the dry season have reportedly contributed to a lack of water supply in Mahdia, Region Eight.
Officials at the meeting.
According to information out of the Guyana Water Incorporated [GWI], many sections within Mahdia have been without water due to the existence of many leaks and high demand on the water supply system.
But GWI has assured residents that the water woes will soon come to an end. This follows on the heels of a deliberate intervention.
On Saturday, April 8, a high level team of GWI officials and the Ministry of Communities engaged residents in a participatory planning process meeting to decide on the way forward for the community. The team was headed by Managing Director Dr. Richard Van West-Charles and accompanied by Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Hon. Dawn Hastings-Williams. The meeting was aimed at reaching a consensus on the community members identified to work along with GWI, as well as the short, medium and long term recommendations made for the improvement of the Mahdia water supply system.
The model being used to address the water situation is the formation of a community water group representing Central Mahdia, Campbelltown, Seven Miles, Danjou Hill and the Airstrip all of which make up the entire community as well as a management contractor to manage and maintain the water system.
Residents give their approval for GWI’s intervention.
Among the recommendations made by the community water group which GWI deemed notable were the formulation of an emergency water preparedness plan, the establishment of water distribution points within wards and the construction of a reservoir.
During the consultative process, residents lamented the need to pay exorbitant prices for water to be delivered to them and the current water distribution system which they say caters only for some sections of the population.
Addressing the residents at the Mahdia Secondary School where the meeting was held, Dr. Van West-Charles assured residents that GWI is committed to ensuring a constant water supply to the entire Mahdia population.
However, he noted that in order the address the current situation, residents need to be stern in guarding against the damaging of pipelines and other types of leakages.
“We are very serious about water supply and water quality for all the residents of Mahdia but we must have a zero tolerance for the breaking of pipelines and leakages”, Dr. Van west stated.
He highlighted that some 60 leaks were found in just two days. As such, a team from Georgetown will be deployed in Mahdia to identify and repair more leaks that are present in the community.