A lack of funding is affecting water trucking services to Mayaro/Rio Claro and Princes Town - some parts of which are now in crisis. And Princes Town councillors are being threatened with eviction by landlords and contract payments are also endangered because of the situation.
The call for help came yesterday from Princes Town and Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation chairmen during an examination by the Parliamentary oversight committee on Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities.
“I hope Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s listening to broadcast of the (Commitee) meeting,” said Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman Gowrie Roopnarine, emphasising that funding issues are the corporation’s main problem.
Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation chairman Glen Ram also said funding was a major concern.
“I hope, whoever the powers that be, we get funds,” he said.
Roopnarine explained that in his corporation, landlords of rented properties had started sending letters threatening to evict councillors for rent. There were no funds to pay landlords and even stipends for councillors, he noted and operations are being jeopardised by the situation.
Roopnarine said in the absence of funding for water trucking, some areas served by the corporation are in crisis for water.
“Tableland hasn’t had water for over a month and people are begging us to help,” Roopnarine said, noting that water trucking contracts were awarded for two weeks.
It costs $181,000 for two weeks to do water trucking in six areas. He said funding from this year had to be used to pay for last year’s water trucking, since there was no release at the end of last year.
Acting Princes Town Regional Corportation CEO Sheriffa Hiru said the corporation’s attempts to provide residents with 1,515 litres of potable water per household five days a week were being hampered.
Mayaro/Rio Claro chairman Ram also said his corporation hasn’t received funding this year for truck-borne water supply. Previously, this was $1 million for 13 areas, but it’s now $400,000 for the same amount of areas.
“We’re in a predicament,” Ram said.
“Without funding from Finance, we had one water tender operating for the entire Easter weekend and had to prioritise. We talked to WASA for assistance but only so much could be done.
“There were many visitors to our area for Easter and we got many calls about the water situation but we only had one water truck and one water tender.”
Mayaro/Rio Claro CEO Ashmead Mohammed said the corporation was also awaiting release of funding to pay contractors. Finance had sent documents assuring payment would be done, “but projects are done and we’re still awaiting.”
Local Government Ministry’s Esther Pilgrim-Soanes (Director of Finance and Accounts) said they had approached the Finance Ministry on guidelines on how corporations should use the funds in various corporations’ Chairman Fund facility and had been awaiting reply since January.
Roopnarine said that facility in his corporation wasn’t used to “lime and fete” but to uplift youths and the needy. But he said the corporation couldn’t use it to provide “...even $500 for needy people for Easter, so I hope the Minister’s listening.”