Rosanna Baliram has lived in Ecclesville, Rio Claro, for more than 35 years and in that time, she says she’s never received a consistent water supply.

Baliram is just one of the area’s many residents asking the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to address their water woes.

At the time of Newsday’s visit to Baliram’s Ledgen Street home on Thursday, she had not had water for a week.

She told Newsday, “We have real problems for water…look, we didn’t get none for this week yet.

“We’ve had this problem from ever since I’ve known myself living here.

“Sometimes we may get water twice for the week, sometimes it’ll be nearly two weeks we don’t get water, and sometimes it may be a whole month.”

[caption id="attachment_913528" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Keron Kallicharan, a resident of Mafeking, is among those who have been experiencing water issues within the community for several months. He is forced to catch rainwater to fill his tanks. - Photo by Marvin Hamilton[/caption]

Baliram has four water tanks and tries to conserve water. But despite her efforts, the water she gets is just not enough, especially when the area doesn’t get water for long periods.

She laments, “For me, if I get water once for the week and it comes with pressure, I usually fill up everything and it sometimes lasts.

“But what about people who have children, and they only have one tank?”

Shaffiron Mohammed lives a stone’s throw away. Over three years ago, Mohammed paid WASA to be connected to the area’s main line.

However, she’s still waiting for WASA to visit her home and do the necessary work.

A frustrated Mohammed told Newsday, “We apply for the water, we done pay and everything.

“Before covid, they said they would come and connect us…they never came.

“We pay $1,500 for the connection and they never came.”

Mohammed depends on heavy rain to fill her water tanks.

At times, she also gets an inconsistent supply of water from her aunt, who lives next door, or from the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation

The situation is unsustainable, she says.

“I does pray to God for rain to fall to get some water, or otherwise I won’t get water.

“Right now my six tanks are empty – and I have three little children living here.

“I have the toilet to flush, I have house to mop and I have clothes to wash.”

[caption id="attachment_913529" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mother and daughter, Shaffron Mohammed and Shandie Shardie are among residents of Ecclesville who depend on rainwater to have their water tanks filled. They claimed the community hardly ever gets pipe-borne water. - Photo by Marvin Hamilton[/caption]

Mohammed has built a small food shed in front of her house but has been unable to run it because iof the water problems.

Her daughter Shandie Shardie lives in Enid Village, not far from Ecclesville.

Shardie faces the same water problems but even when she does get an inconsistent supply, she says the quality is poor.

“The water that is coming in the pipe these days is very brown, like if they are sending