The Minister of Public Utilities is continuing his crackdown on alleged unscrupulous behaviour at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and a community in south, Trinidad is among those under scrutiny.
During an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Gonzales revealed how he identified areas that could be exploited by WASA officials.
The development followed fiery protests at Kernaham Trace, Cunupia last Friday. In the aftermath of the angry demonstrations, the minister promised that heads would roll at WASA if employees were found culpable. On Thursday, one manager and two senior staff members received suspension letters, which accused them of misconduct and informed them that they would be sent on leave with pay.
Gonzales said his investigation began following WASA’s Community Water Improvement Programme which commenced over the last three years. He said despite the authority’s best efforts, the projects were not effective in certain areas, such as Kernaham Trace, which raised red flags.
“One of the ways in which I test the success of these projects is to look at the number of requests for truck borne supply and if the request for truck borne supply in the respective areas has not been reduced, then either two things, it is either the project was not a success or the system is manipulated to allow these communities to continue to rely on (a) truck borne supply of water.”
He said he received information that WASA officials had been boasting of sending over 120 truck-borne supplies of water to residents based on requests. However, he said Kernaham Trace is surrounded by streets that get a consistent supply of water which is why he called for a probe.
“I realise the investigation started and some managers were sent on leave pending the investigation and I say no more on that but, as minister of public utilities, I am paying close attention to communities that rely heavily on a truck-borne supply of water, especially in communities where we would have undertaken projects. Another area that we are looking at is Morne Diablo and the country is going to hear more about that,” he revealed.
Gonzales added that if there was an engineering reason behind Kernaham Trace’s water woes, then the managers should have red-flagged them. However, he said he, neither WASA’s Director of Operations nor the CEO were made aware of the problem.
Asked if the Opposition was concerned about the suspension, the shadow minister of public utilities said the party had no issue with the action taken against the three WASA employees.
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath told Guardian Media that like Gonzales, he too, had heard about Kernaham Trace residents being exploited.
“I am being told by residents who are on the ground there that sometimes they have to pay $1500, $2000 for a truck-borne supply of water. Now, is this money going back to WASA? In most instances, I’m sure it’s not. And, therefore, the investigation will reveal quite a lot,” he said.
Padarath added that both the ministry and WASA are following the law by launching an investigation and suspending employees for suspected misconduct.
But Padarath warned Gonzales that he should brace for greater public outcry over his handling of the issues at WASA as it is an essential service that affects everyone in the country.