Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Executive Director and internationally respected energy and environmental expert Dr. Vincent Adams has accused the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) of placing public health at risk by assuring citizens that discoloured drinking water is safe, despite scientific evidence showing serious breaches of internationally accepted water quality standards.
In a blistering letter published in Village Voice News on Wednesday, Adamds described GWI’s public response to findings by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as “irresponsible, callous and dangerous,” warning that the utility’s assurances could expose thousands of Guyanese to significant health risks.
“This GWI statement is nothing but irresponsible, callous and dangerous to the people’s health,” Adams wrote.
The PUC’s 2025 assessment of drinking water supplied in Regions Four, Seven and Ten found that samples failed to meet recommended standards for pH, turbidity and iron. Despite those findings, GWI, headed by Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh, told the public that the issues affected only the water’s “taste, colour and appearance, not safety.”
Adams said that position is scientifically indefensible.
“True to the Govt’s code of conduct, GWI attempts to deceive the people, not only by leaving out the actual measurements that would make it impossible to back up their ludicrous claim, but also insultingly tells the people not to believe the coffee coloured water they see with their own eyes.”
A Career Built on Water and Environmental Management
Adams’ criticism carries particular weight given his decades of experience in environmental management and public infrastructure.
He served in senior positions within the United States Department of Energy, overseeing major environmental remediation and nuclear security programmes before returning to Guyana to head the EPA. Earlier in his career, he was among 11 Guyanese engineers selected and trained by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to establish the Guyana Water Authority (GUYWA) in the early 1970s—the institution that later became GWI.
“This issue is close to home for yours truly, since I happen to be one of the 11 Engineers specially trained by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to establish and run the GWI (originally GUYWA) initiated in 1972,” Adams wrote.
He said he watched a once world-class institution deteriorate over the years.
“I know first-hand of the world class Water Authority handed over to the PPPC Govt in 1992, only to see it descend to this abyss of incompetence and neglect of its sacred mandate to provide reliable, clean and safe water to the public.”
‘630 Times More Acidic’
Adams devoted much of his letter to dismantling GWI’s assertion that the water remains safe to drink.
Using the PUC’s own findings, he explained that the pH reading recorded in Linden was 3.7, compared with the World Health Organisation’s minimum recommended level of 6.5.
Because the pH scale is logarithmic rather than linear, he said, the difference is enormous.
“This means that the 3.7 pH measured at Linden is 630 times more acidic than the World Health Organisation (WHO) safe pH limit of 6.5.“
Such acidity, he warned, can corrode plumbing systems and dissolve dangerous heavy metals—including lead and copper—into drinking water.
“Ingesting these metals can cause serious health problems such as cancer, stroke, kidney disease, memory loss, high blood pressure, reduced bone density, etc. It is more toxic for children, as their growing bodies absorb these metals much quicker.“
He added that water with such acidity also suggests inadequate treatment and filtration, increasing the likelihood that pesticides, industrial chemicals and other pollutants remain in the supply.
Cloudy Water Could Signal Dangerous Microorganisms
Adams also challenged GWI’s position on turbidity, or the cloudiness of water.
Quoting the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), he noted that turbidity is widely recognised as an indicator of filtration effectiveness and the possible presence of disease-causing microorganisms.
The PUC found turbidity levels at Grove measuring 29 times higher than WHO and US EPA guidelines.
“Notwithstanding that one doesn’t need a measurement to verify the obvious that coffee coloured water at Grove means extremely high turbidity, the actual measurement of 29 times the US EPA and WHO limits plainly points out the grave health risk of consuming such water that may indicate presence of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, parasites and some bacteria.”
He warned that Guyana’s frequent flooding significantly increases those risks because contaminated water from latrines, septic tanks and sewage systems can infiltrate water distribution networks.
“Testing for the presence of these microorganisms must be conducted, especially during and after floods.”
‘Has GWI Become Devoid of Technical Professionals?’
Although Adams said the high iron concentrations identified by the PUC are not the greatest health concern, he noted that levels of 3.35 milligrams per litre—11 times the WHO guideline—can stain fixtures, clog pipes and damage household appliances.
He then questioned whether GWI still possesses the technical expertise needed to fulfil its mandate.
“Considering the above, is the nation led to believe that like the Guyana EPA, the GWI has become devoid of technically qualified professionals to advise against such statements that put the public at serious health risk?“
Adams called on GWI to immediately retract its public assurances and instead focus on correcting the deficiencies identified by the PUC.
“I hope this missive will implore the GWI to immediately do the right and responsible thing to apologetically retract their advice to consume such unsafe water, and to follow-up with urgent actions to satisfy its only mandate to provide the nation with mankind’s most precious substance and basic need for a safe water supply.“
Until that happens, he urged citizens to reject the utility’s advice.
“In the meantime, I humbly wish to dissuade the public from following GWI’s inexplicable advice that the water is safe, despite its irrefutable scientific indications of being hazardous to human health.”
Adams’ intervention comes as public concern continues to grow over the quality of drinking water in several communities, placing renewed pressure on GWI and its management to explain why the utility continues to assure consumers that their water is safe despite regulatory findings showing repeated breaches of internationally accepted drinking water standards.
