GWI says that findings in the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) 2025 report on water quality pertain to aesthetics and not safety of consumption.
In a statement yesterday, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) referenced an article published in the June 28, 2026 edition of Kaieteur News under the headline: `Unsafe drinking water flagged in Regions 4, 7 and 10, PUC report finds’.
GWI contended that the headline and presentation of the PUC findings are misleading and create unnecessary public concerns by suggesting that consumers are being supplied with water that is unsafe for consumption, which it said is not the case.
GWI stated that the PUC report references water treatment facilities at Amelia’s Ward, Wisroc, MacKenzie, Linden Power Company (LPC), Grove, Friendship, Better Hope, Sparendaam and Bartica, citing instances where parameters such as pH, turbidity and iron concentrations fell outside recommended operational ranges as contained in the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
GWI said that it is important to distinguish between operational and aesthetic water quality parameters and those which may present a direct public health risk.
“The issues highlighted in the report relating to iron, pH (acidity or alkalinity) and turbidity (haziness) do not represent evidence that the water supplied to customers is unsafe to drink. Rather, these parameters primarily affect the appearance, taste, colour or operational efficiency of treatment systems and distribution networks. Importantly, the water quality parameters that are directly linked to public health were not identified by the PUC as being non-compliant. It is therefore misleading to characterise these findings as proof of `unsafe drinking water’”, GWI asserted.
The utility said it, however, recognises the areas requiring improvement.
“In fact, many of the treatment plants referenced in the report were already undergoing upgrades during the reporting period in 2025, through the Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme. These interventions included the installation of new filtration systems, process optimisation, and other infrastructure improvements specifically designed to enhance water quality and ensure compliance with applicable standards”, the water company said.
It added that these investments form part of GWI’s ongoing modernisation programme aimed at continuously improving service delivery across the country.
In relation to the metering target outlined in Order No. 2 of 2018, GWI said that it is important to emphasise that from 2022-2024, the total domestic water meters installed were 68,449, which averaged 22,816 meters per year or 14 per cent above the cumulative target of 60,000 meters as stipulated in the Order. It said that this is a clear indication that the metering programme has consistently performed beyond its original target. The PUC report also highlighted a reduction in meter installations during 2025. While GWI acknowledged that the annual target was not achieved, it said that the temporary decline experienced in 2025 came after the utility’s contracted supplier, SMC Energy Brazil Ltd., ceased its Brazil operations and relocated its manufacturing to China, significantly delaying shipments of water meters destined for Guyana. Further extenuating operational circumstances also contributed to a brief pause in the implementation programme but these challenges have since been addressed. Measures have already been implemented and continue to be monitored to ensure that annual installation targets are achieved and that the objectives of PUC Order No. 2 of 2018 remain on track, GWI added.
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