From noon today, approximately 500,000 residents in north and central Trinidad will be without pipe-borne water when the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) shuts down its Caroni Water Treatment Plant (CWTP).
The plant will be shut down until Sunday for planned maintenance as well as work on the north and south transmission network. Customers in north, central and southern parts of Trinidad, including Morvant, Barataria, San Juan, Cascade, Port-of-Spain, Cocorite, St Augustine, Caroni, Chaguanas, Penal and Fyzabad will be affected.
WASA’s (Ag) Director of Operations Shaira Ali promised that measures will be in place to ensure work on the CWTP is completed according to schedule and truck-borne water is made available to affected customers.
However, many people aren’t so confident. Customers in Caroni, Barataria and Morvant said although they were put on alert, their concern is not when the water will be taken but when it will return.
Sandra Baboolal, a 72-year-old resident of La Paille Gardens, Caroni, said she spent yesterday cleaning up and filling her three tanks and barrels.
“We have water today so a lot could be done today to prepare for that... I am not confident so I am preparing in case it goes further than Sunday,” she said.
Another La Paille Gardens resident, Rita Maraj, explained that because they’ve experienced water problems in the past, most residents already have tanks.
Business owners in north Trinidad also said they have little to no confidence the water will return as scheduled.
DJ’s Coin Laundry manager Shehan Cumberbatch said: “This is going to affect us drastically because we run a laundry business. People are going to be inconvenienced when it comes to washing. We will be inconvenienced when it comes to the intake of customers, so it will affect us wholeheartedly and I don’t know if it will be a decrease in business for the duration. Confidence in WASA is like little to none, to be honest.”
Some customers said they were forced to purchase tanks costing $1000 and more this week after hearing about the planned disruption in the water supply.
Owner of R&R On D Ave Bar in Baratartia Roger Boneo said: “This afternoon (Thursday) straight until Sunday afternoon is our peak time, so that will affect us really badly, so what we did is put in a water tank. We put in a big water tank to avoid closing. It is an inconvenience for us but we don’t want to close.”
Borneo said if the water supply does not return he’s concerned his business might have to temporarily shut down next week.
