Problems with water in Toco

THE EDITOR: Last Thursday morning I called WASA to enquire about a lack of water in our area for the past five days. I was told that the Tompire River was turbid and although we have not had any rain in the area for a while, it would appear that illegal logging is taking place in the Tompire catchment area.

I called my councillor (Anicia Williams) and my parliamentary representative (Roger Munroe), both of whom said they were informed of the problem and were taking steps to deal with it. Munroe elaborated that he was going to contact the conservator of forests and the relevant WASA personnel.

If it is true that illegal logging is taking place in the Tompire watershed, we will not only face a short-term problem of turbidity, but also a long-term problem of a reduced supply of water because the forest cover is being removed.

When forest conservation is not vigilantly protected, the impact on the lives of the many is hampered by the monetary gain of the few. We need our leaders to protect the many and curtail the greed of the few by enforcing the laws.

Munroe also indicated that plans are in place for upgrade works, and that the storage facilities at five tanks off the Toco Main Road between Cumana and Toco would be replaced in the near future.

The Toco/Sangre Grande constituency anxiously looks forward to these and other projects to be completed, thus bringing about employment and improved living conditions for our people.

S LEE POW

via e-mail