Given that human life cannot continue for very long without water, it behooves WASA and its line ministry, as a matter of urgency, to conduct a risk assessment and upgrade of security systems at WASA's facilities across the country.
There really is no more urgent issue facing the utility at this time.
In a prepared statement delivered at yesterday's post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh gave a very detailed account of how WASA and related agencies have been responding to the contamination of water from the Caroni Water Treatment Plant. However, the minister said very little about security of the nation's water supply, although that should be the biggest concern for all involved.
While it is not yet known whether the contamination was accidental or deliberate, the fact is that the safety of the drinking water provided to a large segment of the population could have been compromised. Of the 200 million gallons of water produced daily by WASA, 75 million comes from the Caroni Water Treatment Plant, so a significant percentage of the utility's domestic and commercial customers were put at risk.
This raises serious questions about the security of the water supply, not only from the Caroni plant, but every part of WASA's distribution system.
Mr Singh, who had been CEO of WASA before taking on a ministerial portfolio with direct responsibility for T&T's water supply, must therefore address the security concerns arising out of this week's contamination incident.
The fact that large quantities of diesel could have been released into the water supply from two water courses that feed the Caroni plant suggests that the quality of the water supplied to this population, a commodity so essential for health and livelihoods, can easily fall below acceptable standards.
The water that WASA distributes comes from surface water, such as rivers, ground water sources such as reservoirs and from the desalination plant. This water must be treated at Caroni and the other plants across the country to remove impurities and reduce the risk of transmission of water-borne diseases.
Possible breaches in the system could easily result in a crisis situation, with water going into thousands of homes, institutions and workplaces that is not fit for industrial or domestic consumption. While there have been no reports of consumers suffering ill effects from possible ingestion of diesel-tainted water, this was a close call.
Given that human life cannot continue for very long without water, it behooves WASA and its line ministry, as a matter of urgency, to conduct a risk assessment and upgrade of security systems at WASA's facilities across the country.
There really is no more urgent issue facing the utility at this time.
Much more is needed, well beyond occasional patrols by WASA police officers, to protect the many reservoirs, treatment plants, pumping stations and other vulnerable locations across the utility's vast network. Any stopgap solutions being applied in response to the diesel contamination will not be sufficient. New security procedures, including technological solutions, must be quickly deployed to detect and monitor contaminants and prevent security breaches.
It is important that all stakeholders understand the importance of investing in preparedness, prevention and mitigation activities at WASA, so that risks and threats to the country's water and wastewater facilities are reduced.
This is an opportune time to revise and improve operating standards and monitoring, as well as undertake emergency response planning to better protect T&T's water.