According to DNA member Rabin Parmessar, residents in Commewijne have been asked to pay nearly SRD 250,000 for the installation of main pipelines by the Surinaamsche Waterleiding Maatschappij (SWM). On Tuesday, he expressed his concerns in De Nationale Assemblée (Suriname’s parliament) about the high costs residents must pay to gain access to piped water.
Parmessar said he could understand the state-owned company charging costs for a connection from the main pipeline to a home. However, according to him, those connection costs are also too high and deserve the government’s attention.
The parliamentarian finds it incomprehensible that residents must additionally pay for the installation of the main pipelines. “But I cannot imagine that people also have to pay for the installation of the main pipes. I have never experienced this before.”
He emphasised that clean drinking water is a basic necessity of life. According to Parmessar, the government must do everything possible to ensure that residents can have access to it.
DNA member Steven Reyme also called attention to the accessibility of piped water. According to him, there are still many places even in Paramaribo where residents are not connected to the SWM network.
Especially for households in neighbourhoods where there is much poverty, the connection costs are difficult to afford, according to Reyme. He called on the government to establish an arrangement through which these residents too can gain access to the water supply network.
“The people are struggling,” Reyme said. According to him, a solution must be sought that makes piped water accessible to this group as well.
