Water woes in Stuart's constituency

RESIDENTS of St. Ann’s, Cascade and Maraval are reeling from severe water shortages in their area over the past few months. They are calling on the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to fix the problem. Parts of the three communities are located along the slopes of the hills of the Northern Range experience low water pressure while those in the low-lying areas have not been getting a regular supply.

The residents say they have to plan their lives around the irregular and unreliable supply so that when water comes they have to take time off from work to fill up. If it doesn’t come, then they resort to going to the river or spring to fill up their buckets to flush toilets and do other household chores. The residents have taken to their Facebook page St. Ann’s, Cascade, Hololo Residents to list their troubles. Their MP, Stuart Young uses it to contact them as well. On June 19 (Labour Day holiday) he wrote “To all the constituents in Port of Spain North / St. Ann’s West who are having issues with receiving water, please contact Mr. Shurland Sheppard of WASA at 735 5046 (this is at his request when I followed up with WASA again and again to report the water issues being posted).

While a number of residents contacted the number and got positive responses, one resident wrote asked, “So why (the MP) didn't arrange a meeting with the constituents most affected together with this man?

On Friday, residents of Symond Valley Road in St. Ann’s pleaded with WASA to improve the supply to their area. They said there is no proper schedule for them as water comes at odd hours, and sometimes it is very dirty.

“By the time you let it run for it to come clean, it gone again.” It was a similar situation higher up the road where resident Tricia Poon said she cannot wash at home.

“I have to go to Freeport to wash. Things hard without water. When water doesn’t come we have to go and bathe elsewhere.”

Kyle Davidson, who runs a car wash, fills up drums of water so whenever it goes, he can continue his business. He too complained that whenever the water comes it is just for a short period. “Water is life. I am appealing to WASA to fix the problem.”

Fellow villager Alvin Bass lamented that water had not come in the taps for the entire week. He said the area never had a daily supply.

It was a similar situation further up the road at Ariapita Road in Cascade. Some residents there use water from a nearby spring. The water flows through a PVC pipe and residents fill up their buckets when there is no water. Allan Mohammed said water comes once a month. He is pleading for it to be rescheduled to once a week.

Another resident who was sitting next to the spring on Ariapita Road and WASA’s Well No 2 said he wanted to know where the water from the area was being sent. Up to press time, Newsday was still awaiting a response from WASA’s Corporate Communications department.