Gonzales: Have faith in WASA's transformation

Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales has asked the public to have faith in the ongoing transformational process at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

Speaking at the recommissioning of the Aripo booster station on the Eastern Main Road, Aripo, Gonzales said the vision is to have a 24-hour water supply throughout the country soon.

“This is very possible," he told the audience, adding, “Once we have all our citizens, all our players on the field, all of the stakeholders, all of the managers of the board, everyone, to believe that it can be done, by doing so it will be done.

“It’s a possible task, it’s a noble move that we are all committed to.”

The booster station, which has been out of service for more than 15 years, will now serve 15,612 people throughout Arima East. Restoration work on the $300,000 project began in November and ended in February.

“What we have done so far through simple projects like this in Aripo is to suggest to us that if we continue with this momentum and tackling the state of WASA’s infrastructure that fell into disrepair over the years, we are going to restore WASA’s infrastructure to its full capacity, and by so doing...communities all across TT will enjoy a sustainable and reliable supply of water."

Once this is done, he said, the next focus will be increasing water production.

Gonzales described this year as an exciting time for citizens in terms of the supply of water and upgrade of other utilities.

“If you believe we have done a lot last year, we are going to double up on our efforts so that all across TT will feel the presence of WASA and water will follow in every community.”

Arima MP Penelope Beckles described the event as an historic moment.

“This will result in a more reliable water supply for the people of Arima and environs. It may be a small event with a very big impact for the people. We are celebrating system reliability.”