Tuesday, February 2, 2010

WASA starts rationing

THE WATER and Sewerage Authority (WASA) yesterday announced a national rationing plan in order to conserve the country’s dwindling water reserves, saying it was the only way to ensure customers have at least a supply they could survive on during what seems a tough dry season ahead.

Also, as of Wednesday morning, there will be nationwide restrictions on water use. Customers found breaking these restrictions, which fall under the Water and Sewerage Act, will face fines of at least $80 or $90 per offence.

Repeat offenders who leave sprinklers on excessively, religiously wash their cars with hoses, and refuse to take responsibility for their actions where water conservation is concerned will be further penalised, WASA corporate lawyer, Dion Abdool, said at a press conference at the company’s St Joseph headquarters yesterday.

The restrictions will be published in the press before they take full effect tomorrow, WASA officials said. The authority’s police will be on patrol once the restrictions are in effect.

WASA officials said given the low rainfall levels of last year, and further dry conditions this year, water will be redistributed from areas with regular supplies to those with irregular supplies.

’There will be a redistribution of water,’ WASA CEO Dr Jim Lee Young said.

We started with a dry wet season ... the levels in our reservoir are lower than they should be for this time of year. And we still have to enter the harshest part of the dry season.’

He said total rainfall for January was just over 30 mm, more than 40 mm less than the Meteorological Office had previously predicted. He explained that ’certain areas of Trinidad are blessed with water’.

’We will start moving water from those areas, for example the north-west part of Trinidad, and sending it to areas with less,’ he said.

He said water from areas like the Diego Martin and Tucker Valley area will be moved eastwards. Lee Young said this would then displace water from the Caroni area and the displaced water will run further into WASA’s system and be fed to other areas within the network.

The CEO said while WASA has its job to do, citizens also had to do their part in conserving water for everyone in the country by fixing things like leaking pipes and rotting tank floats.

’We are now asking our customers to respond,’ he said.

Company chairman, Shafeek Sultan-Khan, also said customers could soon expect to get WASA meters. ’We are going into universal metering,’ he said.

While Sultan-Khan said WASA had its own share of fixing to do, he said once people had meters on their homes they would be more willing to fix leaks quickly and save water more efficiently.


These setta PNM fockin niggas spend out all the money blingin on fancy fockin building and now crunch time, it eh have no water.

How come niggas cyah think that hard times will come and the first priority is to provide people with basic things to fockin live.

Nah, build big big fancy building and teef out the fockin money, gove Calder Hart to tote out for you.

Now the money done we have to suffer. Somebody should bull Mannning in he bottom.