By: Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
After enduring three weeks without a reliable water supply, residents of Sideline Dam, Beterverwagting, on the East Coast of Demerara, have been assured that water service will be restored to their homes before Christmas Day.
The prolonged disruption has placed significant strain on households in the community, particularly during the busy Christmas season when water is essential for cooking, cleaning, and other domestic activities.
Several residents expressed frustration over the situation, describing the hardship of coping without running water for such an extended period. One elderly resident, who identified herself as “Zefo,” said the disruption has made daily life extremely difficult.
“After three weeks now we ain’t getting water at this place. I don’t know how they want us to do things here,” she lamented.
She explained that recent rainfall had temporarily eased the situation, allowing residents to collect rainwater in drums for household use. However, with those reserves now exhausted, residents have been forced to fetch water manually from distant sources.
“Everybody bringing out their drum, you got to fetch it with buckets, going to the back to fill up your drums,” she said.
Other residents described the disruption as both inconvenient and costly. One woman told Nightly News that she has spent a significant amount of money purchasing bottled water to meet her family’s needs while awaiting the restoration of the supply.
“It is a lot of money to get 20 bottles of water. I am hoping that they can fix it so we can get back proper water,” she said.
Nightly News observed teams from Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on site, actively installing new pipelines and repairing damaged sections. According to a GWI employee, the problem arose after an excavator damaged underground pipes during drain-cleaning works in the area.
“When the machine cleaned the trench, it burst the pipe. In order to fix the problem, we had to sort it out of the culvert, but we assure residents that by this evening they will receive water,” the employee explained.
GWI has assured residents that repairs are progressing steadily and that water service will be fully restored in time for Christmas, bringing relief to households that have struggled for weeks without a dependable supply.
