Local News

After two and a half months without running water, resident of Cristo Rey village in the Cayo district got relief over the weekend.  On Saturday evening a replacement pump was installed and the village’s water system restored.  The restoration work started on Thursday and while there was brief relief on Friday, an electrical problem developed and the system had to be taken offline again.  Hilberto Lopez is the Rural Development Officer.

HILBERTO LOPEZ, Rural Development Officer

“Thankfully that yesterday we had to trouble shoot, well actually we didn’t know what was the problem.  There was some electrical problem, there was the high voltage in the pump house and so what we had to know was go and trouble shoot the entire electrical system of that system and thank God we were able to find that there was a relay inside the magnetic box and so we were able to replace that relay.  Water was finally restored to Cristo Rey.”

PATRICK JONES, Reporter

“And that restoration means barring any other unforeseen circumstance there will be water in the village.”

HILBERTO LOPEZ, Rural Development Officer

“Precisely.”

Less than twenty four hours after the Cristo Rey Water system as restored, residents of Georgeville village woke up on Sunday to find that their water system was broken.  Chairman of the Georgeville Water Board Christine Hyde told Love News that the system had been showing signs of failure for days and that on Sunday it went down.

CHRISTINE HYDE, Chairman of the Georgeville Water Board

“Well since Wednesday, I think, we start having problem with the pump and it was sort of electrical and we got in underway Wednesday and it start functioning quite well and we kept it on manual to see how much water we keep in the reservoir, how long it last and planning to put it back on automatic and this morning when Earl came to pump he called me and he said the pump was not working and I right away call the electrician and he came.  Just a half hour he was here and he checked it and he told me that it looks like some wire supposedly burned in the well.”

Hyde says she made calls to the relevant people to get the work started on fixing the problem. One of the persons called was Hilberto Lopez form the Ministry of Rural Development.

HILBERTO LOPEZ, Rural Development Officer

“I immediately got the crew together and we responded immediately.  When we got out here this morning we pulled the pump out of the well.  We lifted the pump and just to realize that there was a short circuit in the well.  Apparently, a wire was touching against the galvanize pipe and that itself made a short circuit and knocked the pump out.”

PATRICK JONES, Reporter

“What is being done to restore the water service for the villagers of Georgeville?”

HILBERTO LOPEZ, Rural Development Officer

“What we had to do, we went to a nearby village of Unitedville and we were able to have some discussion between the Water Board and we were able to borrow a motor.  The pillar on the pump is good, just the motor was knocked out so we were able to get the support from Unitedville Water Board and barrow that motor and try to restore water by the end of today.”

Water was fully restored to the village around six o’clock yesterday evening. The water board chairman appeals to residents of Georgeville to keep their accounts current so that the water system can be kept in good repair.

CHRISTINE HYDE, Chairman of the Georgeville Water Board

“Well I’ve always been asking people to pay their dues.  We charge a flat rate of $10 across the board on a monthly basis and it’s urgent for them to pay their dues because at times like this we need to have money to defray all these expenses. At this point and time we went and we borrowed, you know the pump that we are now putting down there, we borrowed it and that next Water Board needs, that’s why they have and so we have to look around now to see where are we going to get a pump which is nothing under thirty, thirty five thousand dollars or so and not paying, putting your two cents where it belong in the Water Board who will look at us to help us but when you could show well we have this much can you help us, am sure there are people who will come up and say they will join with us and get a new pump for Georgeville and so we urge the people at Georgeville because I think my business and my people’s business is our business in our community and it’s not for me to say the people are not paying their bills, no, I wouldn’t say that.  I am just urging everybody to pay up their bills and to continue, those people who are paying, continue to pay and those people who have problems in paying please try your best to pay your bills.”

Christine Hyde, Chairman of the Georgeville water board.