SWM to tackle illegal jet pump connections

Marlon Oosterling, director at the Suriname Water Company (SWM), told

that he will take action against people who have connected their jet pump directly to the water network. The SWM will tackle the illegal connections with the help of the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Suriname

Oosterling explained that every jet pump must be connected to a water tank. People who are caught with a direct connection to the water network will be given a fine and their jet pump will be confiscated. The SWM announced that its water stations in Mariënburg receive water supplies. As soon as the SWM has delivered water to its stations in Mariënburg, some residents immediately connect their jet pump to the water network, thereby making it difficult for others to get any water. Oosterling has made sure that the people received yard faucets so that they could get water. But the illegal connections are leaving people with yard faucets without any water. “It is antisocial behavior and we tackle it,” said the SWM director.

A resident told Times of Suriname that some residents do not get a single drop of water because of the antisocial behavior of certain residents. The residents whose yard faucets remain dry therefore are dependent on the rain and creeks. She explained that residents often fetch water from creeks during the dry season. Some residents have to travel long distances just to reach the nearest creek. Many residents who work during the day have to fetch water from the creeks at night because of the illegal connections. “We only have enough water when it rains. The rain is a double blessing for us,” said the resident who added that she is confident that Oosterling will tackle the illegal connections so that everybody can get water from the faucet. “It is very tiresome to have to walk several kilometers just to fetch water. We have done so for many years.”