Water crisis in midst of covid19 scare.. No water at children's home

WITH the basic guideline to combat the spread of the coronavirus which has reached Trinidad being to wash hands thoroughly, dry taps are confronting many households across the country, increasing fear and panic about the disease’s imminent spread.

From Point Fortin to Couva, Gasparillo and Pleasantville, MP’s and councilors have been bombarded with calls from constituents asking for water on the line or via truck borne supplies.

Couva North MP Rudranath Indarsingh said, “It’s a crisis situation.”

Indarsingh said he had to make an intervention on Saturday to get the fire services to provide water to a children’s home in his constituency which was without water.

“There was no water on the line or in the tanks at the orphanage which has about 25 children. I had to appeal to the fire services and WASA to try to appease the situation.”

In addition to this situation, Indarsingh said he has been bombarded with calls from constituents in Milton, Carolina, Balmain Gardens, Violet Drive and Calcutta Nos 1, 2 and 3, complaining about no water.

He said he wrote to Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte seeking relief but has had no response. He said he has also been interacting with regional managers from WASA who informed him that there was a problem with the Dow Village booster pump.

“I don’t know if that was repaired because the situation has not been resolved.”

Calls to Le Hunte’s phone were not answered or returned on Sunday.

Several communities in Tabaquite, Mayor Road, Tortuga, Bonne Aventure Road, Henry Street, Caratal Road and Samlalsingh Trace said they too are suffering without water.

MP, Dr Surujrattan Rambachan said in some of these areas constituents have not had water for over one month and in others, when water does come the pressure is very low. He said requests to WASA for truck borne supplies are slow in coming.

Rambachan also appealed to Le Hunte to intervene especially since there are fears of covid19 and the constant plea by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh for citizens to wash their hands to prevent the spread of the virus.

Pleasantville councillor Robert Parris has been using his Facebook page to update residents about water supply for the area.

Parris said because the supply at the dams are low the authority is rationing water.

He said he was assured water would have returned to the community on Saturday, but responders to his post said that did not happen.

“Still no water Robert Parris Arethusa Drive and environs,” one post stated.

Another commented that she has been without water for one week but a request for a truck borne supply failed to materialise.

“Only select houses get water on Ladybird Crescent,” she wrote.

In Point Fortin, residents of Southern Gardens Egypt Village who claimed their taps were dry since Christmas, called off a protest planned for Sunday morning as “water miraculously appeared in their taps overnight.”

Community activist Ronny Adams speaking on behalf of the community said he suspects someone in authority got wind of their planned action was able to impress WASA to provide a supply overnight.

WASA did warn late last year of a terrible 2020 dry season as they were going into the new year with levels below average.