Deal with policy issues in WASA

THE EDITOR: Permit me to address the Minister of Public Utilities based on his reported statement in the press on Saturday.

It appears that Mr Gonzales thinks his job entails bringing WASA’s operational problems to the feet of the public.

This time he is quoted as stating that, "Illegitimate users of water are negatively affecting the water supply being received by paying customers."

What is even more alarming is that he gave an example of an illegitimate tank farm, that "was discovered in the vicinity of wells...storing water to be resold on water trucks."

This is clearly an admission of a lack of controls by the authority for which there are obvious technical solutions.

WASA has refused, despite multiple recommendations over the last 30 years, by international consultants, to implement universal metering and more recently, to adopt smart metering in its distribution systems.

Universal metering has been proven all over the world to reduce customer consumption and allow water authorities to identify leaks and other losses, remotely and instantaneously.

One does not have to wait for a WASA crew to happen to be at a location to see an unauthorised tank farm at work. Nor does one have to wait on a report to be made to identify major leaks in the system.

With universal metering, this information will be automatically analysed at a control centre by computer systems and thereby allow for quick restorative action from the operations and other departments.

Mr Gonzales, in his capacity as minister, needs to step back and address the policies required at WASA to make it operate more effectively and efficiently, instead of trying to micromanage operations and pose for photo opportunities.

FAZIR KHAN

St Augustine