Why pay for water?

by Samuel Gillis

Guyana is known as the land of many waters, and a trip around the country will easily confirm the large presence of water in Guyana’s various geographical spaces, but one cannot doubt the fact that much of this water present is not palatable for consumption, and any attempt to do so could result in one medically harming themselves, hence despite Guyana is the land of many waters one must contextualize that statement when discussing portable water sources.

Production Cost 

Pool side Grand Coastal
Hotel Guyana  

It therefore means that in order to produce water clean enough for one to consume, a place has to be identified to retrieve it from, which includes the process of feasibility studies, engineering evaluation and environmental capabilities, after which a system of retrieval must be agreed on by relevant professionals, one that is best suited for the environment and citizens. One must take into consideration electricity cost, chemical treatments for the water to filter out impurities and constant test to ensure it remains good enough for consumption. Therefore the cost of production in general is high and the list above is just a “tip of the iceberg” in the broad spectrum of water production. Hence paying for water that one receives should be of priority, given that it’s just a drop in the "sea" of production cost.

Efficiency of usage

Paying for water should ensure efficiency of usage, any metered consumer that understand the simple principle of any metering system, will agree that the more you use, the more you pay and this should cause anyone to give consideration to the amount that is used. There is still room for improvement in our culture as Guyanese, as it relates to conservation and the economics of cost-in-use. Anyone that seeks to save on monies earned or received, will give attention to the usage of water. Turn off the pipe if not in use, if you see a leak, report it, turn off pipe while brushing your teeth, and ask yourself, do I need to flush the toilet every time?  

Scarcity of Water 

Water in general is drying up, in a briefing report prepared for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2012 it was estimated that by 2030 across every sector, there will be a 40 percent global shortfall between the forecast demand of water and available supply. In general, water is drying up, a look outside at the drains and trenches we once knew to have water, might help drive home the reality, who can live without water? What can live without water?

Water needs to be cherished and respected more, given the production cost, our lack of a conservative culture, and the scarcity predicted ahead, one should consider the importance of paying for water now, so that methods could be financed to produce, conserve and retain water.