Sinanan blames WASA for potholes

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan says shoddy workmanship by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has compounded the problem of potholes on the nation’s roads.

In fact, he estimated that in some areas in the country, as much as 100 per cent of the potholes was caused by WASA.

However, Sinanan said his ministry was working closely with the State-owned company to reduce significantly the number of potholes on the roads, many of which were caused by effects of leaking pipelines.

“What we have recognised is that WASA would have bene conducting a lot of repairs and they were not keeping up with the repairs to the roadway,” Sinanan told reporters today during the launch of another phase of his ministry’s road rehabilitation programme at the Agua Santa Asphalt Plant, Wallerfield.

Sinanan said the Ministry of Public Utilities, under whose purview the WASA falls, was committed to rectifying this problem.

“This morning, however, the Ministry of Public Utilities and WASA, and WASA has actually stepped up and they came out in full force and they have committed to do the repairs on the roadway that were caused by their leaking pipelines.”

Sinanan said his ministry had eight repair crews operating over the past two years but from today, they now have 16.

Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte accepted some liability for the Water and Sewerage Authority's (WASA's) role in creating potholes on the nation's roads.

Speaking to reporters today, during the launch of another phase of the Ministry of Works and Transport's road rehabilitation programme at the Agua Santa Asphalt Plant, Wallerfield, Le Hunte acknowledged there were a significant number of leaks in the system–a problem compounded by WASA's poor infrastructure.

"As a result of that focus, there has been a reduced focus on actually repairing the roadways afterwards. We have recognised that and we have intensified that action."

Le Hunte said the ministry was also challenged by what he called "funding issues."

"But we are going out there with about 36 crews today with regard to fixing road repairs and we will be working jointly with the Ministry of Works and, hopefully, we are trying to break the back of that."

Le Hunte said the ministry also was not giving up on its repair programme. He said he was hoping to bring the number to leaks on the roadways to between 1,200 and 1,500 by year's end.