Friday November 19, 2016
PAGE 9
Kaieteur News
The use of chemicals in water There are still poor people in Guyana who drink pipe water. This may surprise many folks who use bottled or filtered water. But it is true that large numbers of persons still use water from the mains. The majority of Guyanese use tap water to wash their clothes. The majority of Guyanese use water from taps to cook their food.
It is therefore of concern to more than half of the population whether the Guyana Water Inc. used a chemical, antinfex, which is not approved by the Food and Drugs Department. The fact that a chemical is not approved does not mean that it is not healthy. But once it is not approved it should not be used. The two issues
at the centre of the controversy between the Guyana Water Inc and the Government Analyst Food and Drugs Department need to be separated. On the one hand, there needs to be a determination as to whether an unapproved chemical was used. If the chemical was not approved for use in Guyana by
West Berbice canecutter remanded for raping grandmother The man who during the wee hours of Monday morning brutally raped a 65year-old home-alone grandmother has been remanded to jail. The man Marino Cobis, 37, a cane cutter of Lot 5 No 3 Settlement, West Bank Berbice, appeared on Friday before Magistrate Rhondell Weaver in the Fort Wellington Court. The case for the prosecution as presented by Corporal Rochelle Mars is that around 01:00 hrs on Monday
the woman was at home when Cobis armed with a knife entered her home and raped her. It was reported that during the n i g h t , t h e accused, armed with a long knife, made his way o v e r t o t h e w o m a n ’s house where he removed a few louver panes before squeezing himself into the house. Whilst there, he proceeded to put the knife to the woman’s neck and sexually assaulted her before
making his escape. The woman’s subsequent cries attracted neighbours, who called the police. The lawmen responded promptly and the suspect was arrested at his home and taken into custody. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was medically examined, treated and sent away. A file was prepared and sent to the DDP where it was advised that he be charged. He was remanded to jail until November 29.
Dem boys seh...
One engineer run from de Waterfall boss man If is one thing that people got to look out for is dem engineer who does supervise government contracts. If de government building a village road it got to get an engineer to determine how much sand, how much stone and how much bitumen de contractor got to use. When dem boys see de road break up in a few weeks dem never blame de contractor. Dem know that de engineer was into racket wid de government. Dem see how things use to work. People get extra pay even before dem do any wuk and dem who wuk do a lick and a promise. Before you know it, de road break down. That is why when dem bys hear bout de engineer name Shemroy dem had to check to see how he passing work. He is de man who got to check wha de contractor do and agree top payment. Dem boys seh that he pass a wuk that de contractor didn’t even do. Now dem got de Auditor General writing how much money de government pay out and who get over pay.
Dem boys see this overseer wukking in Nandy Park. At last de powers that be decide to fix de road. Wid Shemroy supervising dem boys know that laugh deh. So said, so done. Shemroy tun up to de job one day. He see a house and he ask who live deh because in front of this house was de wuss road. Dem boys still looking fuh him. From de time he hear is de Waterfalls boss man house, he lef de street. He supervising by remote control. Dem boys also watching how all of a sudden business getting split in black business and coolie business and Chinee business. Shemroy belong to one of dem business. He business is to mek a dollar even if de job ain’t got money. Business is a thing that can only do one way. That is why de Georgetown Chamber got everybody. Now dem boys hearing bout another chamber. It mek dem remember a bank that was suppose to be a black people bank. Talk half and watch out fuh smart people.
the relevant authority, then it needs to be determined who imported the chemical and how an import license was approved for its importation. If on the other hand the chemical was approved for use in Guyana, then we have to move on to the second issue which is safety. Is the chemical safe for use in Guyana? The fact that it may have been approved does not mean that it is safe for use in water. We are being assured, however, that the main ingredient in antinfex is used for sanitation in the health industry. This does not mean that it can be used as anti-bacterial agent in Guyana. There still needs to be a determination as to its safety. As mentioned before, the public is concerned because many people drink water from the taps; they use this water to wash their clothes and to cook their food. They brush their teeth and bathe with this water. They want to be assured that no unsafe chemi-
cals were used in the treatment of water. This is all people want. They are not too concerned with who is right and who is wrong. In Guyana too much time is wasted trying to prove who is right and who is wrong. We should be more interested in looking at safety and security rather than right and wrong. They have persons in this country who have not seen a Church door in five to ten years, yet they are moralizing about some sex tape and images which is no concern of theirs. There are more important issues to be addressed in Guyana and one of those issues is about how contentious issues should be settled. There is a contention about the use of antinfex in Guyana. But it seems as if the issue is being turned into an issue over individuals rather than addressing the substantive issues. The government should appoint a one-man commis-
sion to investigate whether antinfex was approved for use in Guyana and for what uses it was approved. The investigation should also examine whether it is safe for antinfex to be used for the purification of water. The investigation should go on to determine to what extent it was used. It should examine whether the necessary procedures were adhered to as regards the importation of the chemical. There is no need to bring any military veteran out of retirement to undertake this investigation. It can be done by any senior bureaucrat. It will help answer a lot of questions and allay a lot of fears because right now persons are afraid to use the water which comes through the taps and this cannot be good for Guyana