Opposition MP Juretha Fernandes has condemned the government’s move to push the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) into the bottled-water business while thousands of Guyanese still struggle to obtain reliable access to safe drinking water.
Speaking at the PNCR’s press conference, Fernandes described the venture as evidence that the PPP/C administration is more interested in competing with private businesses and generating revenue than fulfilling its responsibility to citizens.
“When you do not prioritise the distribution of clean, safe water to homes, we are in a dangerous place,” Fernandes warned. “Government is supposed to be safeguarding its citizens, not going out there looking to make a profit off its citizens.”
She questioned why hundreds of millions of dollars would be directed towards manufacturing bottled water when communities in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten and other outlying areas continue to experience unreliable or nonexistent water service.
Fernandes warned that residents in underserved communities could eventually be forced to purchase bottled water from the very state agency that has failed to provide water through their taps.
“You are going to see GWI bottled water going up to Region One pretty soon, with people having to purchase water in communities where the government is not providing the service,” she said.
The MP also challenged the government’s official claims about the expansion of potable-water access. She alleged that wells announced in one national budget are counted as completed access for entire communities, even when some later become inoperable.
“They say they are doing 60 wells and then add 60 communities to the number with access to water,” Fernandes said. “What they do not come back and tell you in the next budget is how many of those wells are actually working.”
She argued that GWI’s central responsibility is to deliver safe and reliable water throughout all ten administrative regions, not to enter a market already served by private companies.
“The government cannot look after the people and look after profits simultaneously,” Fernandes declared. “That is the failure of the PPP administration.”
