Congrats, WASA grads, now repair those leaks

THE EDITOR: WASA has just graduated 43 young men and women from an engineering programme. They are leak repair specialists. This is marvellous news. I am very happy for all of you. We are counting on you to be better than the last bunch.

The country is in your hands. I hope you have been taught the right way to fix a leak. We are all counting on you to properly repair the mess that has been left behind.

One of the main issues that has been ongoing (only in Trinidad) is that almost every leak will reoffend after any repair has been made. A repair might last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Sometimes the leak is not even stopped, they simply pave over it.

I can think of no other country in the world where this has been allowed to happen. How can people still do such a poor job day after day, year after year and still have a job?

Everyone in this country knows of leaks that just keep leaking. I myself pass over and through the same leaks every day, year in, year out. Repairs should not be temporary. They should be permanent and never leak again. Sometimes WASA does not even stop the water from pouring out. Sometimes it puts garden dirt on the leak, which immediately turns to mud as soon as it rains and is useless.

It is the foundation and structural engineering that has always been done wrong. Once a collar or sleeve has been installed on the leaks they have been dumping plain old dirt into the hole and sometimes a few three-quarter stones. Without applying a proper foundation and a proper surface, the leak begins again as soon as a few overloaded trucks pass over it. It may sound ridiculous, but its true.

I pass over a major intersection every day. Western Main Road and 1st Avenue south in Chaguaramas. This is a commercial entrance to deep-sea terminals and piers. It has leaked for seven years. Millions of litres of fresh water has flowed out.

At least six times over the last seven years, less than competent WASA employees have tried to fix it. The last time they attempted to repair it, it lasted two months and 15 days. I saw them "fix" it.

When they were finished they said they were waiting for a load of dirt. I told them the repair would not last. They smiled because they were satisfied with the job they had done.

Two months and 15 days it lasted. The dozens of trucks that pass over this intersection daily are often overloaded and can weight as much as 50 tonnes. If they don't compensate for these extreme loads it will never be repaired.

They never came back to smooth out their repair, probably because they knew they would be back to dig it up again. Well. it's leaking again and the mess is over ten metres wide.

WASA, please send a real engineer with of few of your graduates. Get it right.

R WILD

via e-mail