WASA head: Big job ahead but have faith in us

NEW WASA chairman Ravindranath Nanga on Monday said transforming WASA was a "gargantuan" task but his new team will try its best to provide a better water-supply to the general public, elaborating on an earlier WASA statement announcing a new interim executive management team.

WASA's new CEO is Sherland Sheppard, a past acting director of operations.

The statement said WASA's board of commissioners had met and took a decision to appoint a new management team from Monday in line with the board's strategic vision for the authority.

"The board is resolute in its quest to improve the level of service that is currently being provided and continues to examine the operations of the authority and take the necessary decisions in order to improve these operations so as to strive to achieve its mandate."

The management shake-up follows other recent changes. In February, then chairman Dr Lennox Sealy became executive director, replacing then acting CEO Alan Poon King who is now again director of customer services. Last Thursday, Sealy resigned for "personal reasons," with Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales remarking that the Government "felt that the transformation was not proceeding at a sufficiently rapid pace.”

A recent Cabinet subcommittee report said WASA's organisational structure was convoluted and the antithesis to being highly-productive, while management was top-heavy and inefficient.

It said WASA was unwieldy, overstaffed, incapable and dysfunctional.

Amid Monday's news, PSA leader Watson Duke cancelled a media briefing, but later on Facebook promised to soon say "something big" about WASA.

Nanga told Newsday that just before being named CEO, Sheppard was not on the management team but "on special assignment with the former chairman."

"We are a highly-qualified group of people and we have taken a very hands-on approach in terms of discovering the workings of WASA," Nanga said. "We have had the benefit of the subcommittee report. That greatly assisted us in identifying the problems at WASA and we began as a team to address those issues."

Newsday asked about WASA's priorities/challenges.

"We are taking our cue from the subcommittee's report. Having gone in there we are also discovering some of the weaknesses.

"As you'd be aware we are a unionised environment, so once we are talking about restructuring of course we will have to get the unions on board. As the newly-appointed chairman I will be reaching out to the unions to start the process of consultation. We'd not want to breach the terms of the collective agreement.

"We have identified that there is the need to restructure, but as of now we have not come up with a structure we feel may work, so that is an ongoing process."

He said, in the interim, WASA was examining small changes to give relief to citizens.

"As you'd know, WASA did not get like this overnight. It is a gargantuan task we have undertaken but I think we've been making some small strides. The team we have is very experienced in a wide range of activities, so we are bringing our respective expertise to the table in an effort to make changes that would redound to the benefit of the population."

Asked about "top-heavy management", Nanga said the review will include all levels.

"When I say we are looking at restructuring, it is a full restructuring from top to bottom, across the entire structure.

"We'll be looking at every single person, from CEO come right down to driver. It will be a comprehensive review."

He said WASA's much-criticised disconnection drive during the pandemic was unfortunate, but had not spurred recent management changes.

Nanga was optimistic.

"I know that given the level of service that is out there, the population is very sceptical and rightly so. We have seen boards come and boards go.

"We have a geologist on board who can give the board guidance on well rehabilitation. We have a couple of engineers who can give us guidance on the technical side of water distribution. We have finance people on board. I am an attorney at law, with industrial relations experience.

"We are bringing our experience to bear. We are really attempting to transform the authority. It's an earnest attempt. It is fervent hope and we are definitely working towards transformation. "We are hopeful that in a very short time, members of the public would be able to see changes, even if just small changes."

He said WASA's goal was to try to stick to its delivery schedule for various areas, and ultimately move everyone to a higher level of service.

"Where you don't have a reliable supply, we are looking to identify and fix that."

Asked his philosophical view on proposed water meters, in his personal capacity Nanga viewed these as a way of monitoring the entire system and detecting leaks. He opined meters would scotch the old complaint paying a water bill but having no water in one's pipe.

"With water meters you pay for what you use. If you don't get water, you don't pay. It'll be more equitable."