Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales has vowed to have executives from the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) account to the public today for water issues throughout the country.
This promise came yesterday after Guardian Media contacted the minister for comments on complaints made by residents of Belmont and St Ann’s about dry taps for the past several weeks.
At Layan Hill, Belmont, a small group of residents gathered yesterday, clutching empty plastic bottles as they recounted the many struggles their community has faced over the past 60 years for an adequate pipe-borne supply of water.
Earl Mark, 69, said he had reached the point of frustration over the ongoing issues. He said over the years, residents have complained to their various Members of Parliament and councillors but the issue has never been resolved.
“Right now, the one representing us is Stuart Young. He knows the problem, he does nothing for us, three weeks now no water on the hill, my tanks empty. You making requests to WASA, they say make a request. Look, I have my request number here. Three weeks now I making this request and no water coming, no trucks, nothing coming,” Mark said.
He said residents of Layan Hill usually don’t stage protests to get issues resolved but did not know what else to do.
“Protesting ain’t make no sense because in 1993 we have a protest down by the Twin Towers and since that nothing still ain’t happen,” he said.
Mark said he had been told WASA’s infrastructure could not pump water up the steep hill.
“The water coming from over the hill. When it reach halfway, it cannot go up, they say the pump breakdown, sometimes they say they have one pump,” he said.
He said all he wanted was for their political representatives to assist in finding a solution to the water woes plaguing the community.
Another resident, Jeffrey Skerritt said he is fed up.
“In the pandemic, they say wash your hands but we clothes can’t wash, we can’t bathe, we can’t flush. We are in a mess. We want to get this straightened out, it’s not just today, it’s years now,” Skerritt said.
Now 73, Skerritt recalled carrying water from the Queen’s Park Savannah to his home in his younger days. He said at that time, his children were babies.
“Now my children are big and I still toting water,” he lamented.
His neighbour, Keith Lewis, had memories of accompanying his grandparents, then his parents, to get water and now, still having to fetch water now. Lewis said he and his neighbours make sure to pay their water bills on time so overdue bills are not the problem.
“It is advantage. Why are we paying a bill and we are not getting the service for it? It doesn’t make sense, and we really fed up now. We keep paying these people over and over, we really need water now, we fed up, we really can’t take no more,” Lewis said.
Over the hills in St Ann’s, resident Charisse Thavenot said it has been 16 days since she last had a pipe-borne supply of water. She said this issue affects residents of lower, middle and upper Fondes Amandes.
Trying to get an update from WASA has proved even more frustrating, Thavenot said.
“Many times you are on hold and you don’t get any response, when you do get through, we’ve now been advised by more than one source that it could now be possibly a week or two, with the damage done by the recent floods,” she said.
Thavenot said residents have resorted to paying for private water trucks to bring water to their homes which can cost between $600 to $700 per tank.
But the concerns expressed in both communities are not unique.
Guardian Media posted a question to its social media platforms yesterday asking users whether they were experiencing water problems in their communities.
The post got more than 1,300 comments with many complaining of having no water for weeks at a time. Several comments from Arima residents stated parts of the Arima Bye Pass Road had not had a pipe-borne supply since December 2019. Many users also complained of being unable to access WASA’s truck borne supply.
Contacted yesterday evening for comment, Gonzales said he is aware of the issues in Fondes Amandes but not of those in Layan Hill.
When the concerns raised on social media were brought to his attention, Gonzales said he would mandate WASA executives to hold a press conference today to explain to the nation why its water supply is so irregular.