Frustrated by WASA

THE EDITOR: Open Letter to the Minister of Public Utilities.

I have had a continuous problem of no water in my taps since February. I live on a side street along Chin Chin Main Road in Cunupia (not Kernahan Road). I have been experiencing this problem intermittently for the past two years, and this year the problem started in February.

Calls to WASA have increased my frustration as with every call a new report is “sent” to the “technician,” and there will be an update after lunch. Therefore, I must call back after lunch.

It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to speak to an agent in the morning; in the afternoon, it takes about an hour and a half. That is if you are lucky. Sometimes when you are about to speak to an agent, you are disconnected, and by then you are so annoyed that you give up. When you call back in the morning for an update, the report has to be made again, and the cycle starts over. If you leave your number, no one calls you back, and if you use the online chat, it is the same process – a report is sent to the “technician.”

On one occasion, I spoke to a well-mannered gentleman, and he proceeded to tell me there is no hope that I would get water in my taps in the nicest possible way. He indicated that the desalination plant is out of filters, that it is not producing enough water for my area on Chin Chin Road, and that the water level in the “river” is so low that there is no hope of a backup supply. Asked about a truck-borne supply, he said there is currently a backlog in the system and this must be resolved first. Since I have been reporting this issue, no one from WASA has contacted me or visited my area to determine what is causing the problem.

As I write this letter, I still do not have water in the taps. My two 1,000-gallon tanks are about a quarter full. I have two open requests for a truck-borne supply, and while I wait for someone in WASA to do their job, I must do my laundry at my mother’s home, flush the toilet only when necessary, and bathe with a maximum of two buckets of water.

What can I do? Do I go out onto the Chin Chin Main Road and block it with burning tyres? Is this what is required for some WASA customers to receive service in this country?

S SEEMUNGALRAMROOP

Cunupia