WASA CEO: Transformation not an overnight process

Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) CEO Keithroy Halliday says the transformation of the state entity would not be an “overnight” process.

Halliday was speaking at a media conference at the Caroni Water Treatment Plant on January 17 to give an update on WASA’s reservoir levels and outline projects aimed at expanding its capacity and improving delivery. The Hollis Reservoir stands at 97.52 per cent, Navet Reservoir at 94.14 per cent, Hillsborough Reservoir in Tobago at 98.9 per cent and the Caroni/Arena Reservoir was 78.9 per cent.

The dry season began on January 14 and continues until the end of May.

Director of Water Manager Services for North-East Shaira Ali said the projects include the planned commissioning of a new water treatment plant in Santa Cruz and the development of new wells in South Trinidad.

Halliday was asked if WASA could afford all the projects and sustain its improvement plans given its debt.

The authority's most recent audited financial statements laid in Parliament in June 2023 showed an accumulated deficit of $3.3 billion up to 2019, along with losses of $180.8 million for that year.

The company has received billions of dollars in government subventions in the last decade.

Halliday said the plans, while difficult to implement, are essential.

“If you ignore the situation and we don't pursue the activities or events or projects that we need to, we're going to continue to spiral down. So as difficult as it may be, we really have no choice.

“For instance, the more water we supply, the more opportunity we have for billing and revenue.”

Halliday said a steady and reliable supply of water is critical to a country “for health reasons and from a quality of life standpoint” and suggested this would remain his priority while at the helm.

He said he is aiming to improve the delivery of water so everyone can have water “on a 24-hour basis.

“There are at least 200 projects that were being pursued over the last two years or so. And in the last year in particular, those projects have been ramped up.

“What is key for us is making sure that we can sustain the delivery of those programmes and making sure our project management is on par and up to standard in terms of doing what we should do and making sure that we are in full compliance with various regulatory requirements.”

He said a multi-faceted approach must be taken though as there are also other things which need to be addressed.

“Water leaks or non-revenue water, we have to pursue that in parallel. If you're supplying a million gallons a day to a community but you're losing 400,000 gallons, then that is just as important because there's 400,000 gallons that you're losing and you cannot collect revenue on. That’s also 400,000 gallons that money was spent to produce.”

Halliday said WASA will continue to crack down on any illegal activity that affects the company.

“One of the things we're taking very seriously is illegal activity, whether it's illegal connections or other type of illegal activity which can negatively impact the authority and by extension negatively impact the staff. If it is that we are to make WASA whole or to ensure that we encourage our staff in their performance, in their loyalty and their commitment, those are matters that we take and will continue to take seriously.”

While acknowledging that, as a state-owned entity, some of WASA’s policies regarding delinquent customers may be influenced by the government, Halliday said the matter would not be left alone.

“We know that in the social structure of any country, while water is an essential critical service, some of the decision-making and some of the policy-making goes beyond WASA.

He said the company would be irresponsible if it chose not to go after intentionally delinquent customers.

“But to the extent that we have individuals who are wilfully not paying, we at some point in time will press down much more on that. We have to be able to function as a utility and in instances where we're not getting water or getting paid for the supply of water, it puts stress on us, the government, and the system economically. Therefore, for us to know it or not seek to deal with it would be very irresponsible of us.”

Halliday called on the public to practise water conservation, adding it should not be something that is done only when there are restrictions in place.

“Currently, there are no restrictions or no prohibitions. Our focus, however, remains that we should practise conservation. This is something that you see the authority pushing on more and more that irrespective of water levels, irrespective of the supply, this has to become a way of life. So while there can be no restrictions, we still want to emphasise that we need to be responsible about water.”

Halliday shied away from speaking about the restructuring process at WASA and promised instead to address it at another time as “there are others who would need to be a part of that discussion.”

A 2020 report by Cabinet's sub-committee on the authority said its top management was grossly overstaffed and needed to be significantly reduced.

In June 2024, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales said the report led to a redesign process for the organisation, guided by the development of a transformation plan.

Halliday said, however, he has had “encouraging” meetings with the unions as the company charts a way forward through the process.

“We wanted to signal to them that we're not in this alone and we are not necessarily looking for an adversarial-type approach. We have to partner if we're going to improve things.

“We have to partner through a number of discussions and arrive at a number of solutions.”

He promised to consult with all stakeholders, including the unions, as the process moves forward.

“We don't think we have all the answers. We're not going to do it alone. We're going to solicit the input as much as we can notwithstanding all the work that's being done.”