Guyana has been ranked 103rd in this year's UNDP human development index. Has your life improved over the last five years? And do you have access to clean water for your needs? We asked the man/woman in the street these questions and this is what they had to say:

Joseph Augustine, miner

`Yes my life has improved over the last five years in terms of my living standards. In the last five years I have managed to acquire my own land and am presently building my own home. In these last five years I have also gotten a higher income. I am living at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara and the water supply there has improved. The water that comes through the pipelines is clean'.

Sherry Cort, nursery school teacher

`I don't think that my life has improved in the last five years because of the job I am doing. In my opinion I am not getting enough income. For the new year I would like to see more benefits being given to teachers. The water in Plaisance where I am living is not clean. When clear water comes and it settles there is a thin film of an oily substance settling at the top of it. The electricity hasn't improved. I had a problem with GPL last year where my light was disconnected. When I went into them, they told me that my meter was defective and that I had to pay back money for 2004. I had all the bills to show that I paid for that period. So because of this situation I am without light. At first they said I had to pay $104,000 when they broke it down I was asked to pay $52,000'.

Onika Cort, private sector employee

`As a young person the job situation in the country has been a problem for me in the last few years. Also living conditions for me have not been too good. You are not working for enough money but yet you have to pay high tax. Next year I will have to pay tax plus VAT and I am working on a small scale. Sometimes I find life difficult to live. Water is not giving me a problem. It is clean but at times there are sediments in it'.

Kamla Persaud, private sector employee

`Yes, my life has improved in the last five years. I have been getting good water and electricity supply. Shopping for goods at the market and in stores has not been expensive for me. I have been able to live my life comfortably. I have access to clean water in Foulis, East Coast Demerara where I live. Sometimes the water has sediment in it but not often. I think that this is one very important aspect of water supply that GWI has to look at'.

Patricia Green, industrial nurse

`Yes I have seen some improvements in my life. In the last five years I was able to educate myself which enabled me to get an increase in my salary. My children and grandchildren were able to benefit from this. I was also able to acquire my own home and furnish it with the necessary things. The water coming through the tap has sediments in it and it is often contaminated. I think that it is the broken pipes that contaminate water. I live in the East La Penitence area and the electricity has improved a lot over the last five years. The only problem that has developed is that the water employees are digging up the roads to lay pipelines and they leave them in a mess'.

Morve Norton, tailor

`My life has improved a little for me within the last five years. In 2002 I returned home from Barbados and started a family. Going to buy foodstuff and other items is very tough though. When you have $20, 000 it finishes so fast. In other countries there are dollars and cents, so it looks a lot easier. The electricity bills are too high in Guyana. Water here is only fit for washing clothes and cleaning the house. You can't drink it because it is too rusty. Also I believe that the water that runs through the pipes is contaminated. I don't think that the water people purify the water properly. In the islands I drink water from the taps because I know that it is clean but I can't drink water from the pipes in my own country'.

Aaron Melville, UG student

`In the last five years infrastructure has improved. The streets are clean and most times when I go out on the road I see gutters being cleaned. In my life things haven't improved much. I still get blackouts every night. They come and look after it and two days later blackout again. I have been getting clean water for a while now'.

Jacklyn Andrews, self-employed

`Yes, my life has improved. At present I am on the way to completing my own home. Over the last five years I have also been able to buy the necessary household articles. Every month though I have to pay almost $20,000 in light bills alone. I think that is ridiculous. I get steady blackouts but still the bill remains the same. Water that comes through the taps is not clean and I only get at certain hours. In 2007 I would like to see the bills go down and I hope to get better jobs for me and my children so that our lives can improve'.

Ras Cali, works in music industry

`My life has not improved over the past five years. The conditions in the country are going down and the cost of living is rising. Next year VAT will be introduced and the country is more dependent now than before independence. I would not say that I have access to clean water since I classify clean water as water that you are able to drink. The water, which comes out of the pipe, I have to use because I have no choice but I cannot drink it.

Jonathon Chung, student