Minister: Water supply to regularise by Sunday for 200,000 consumers

PUBLIC Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales on Saturday said a regular water supply will be restored consumers affected by damage to a 48-inch pipeline at the Water and Sewerage Authority's (WASA) Caroni Water Treatment Plant that occured earlier this week. WASA said repairs were completed to the pipeline on Thursday.

Speaking to media at a men's health event at the Mt Hope Women's Hospital on Saturday morning, Gonzales said it usually takes up to 48 hours for water services to normalise after a major disruption. He added that supply to affected areas should be fully restored by Sunday.

“As of yesterday evening around 7 pm, 30 per cent of the 200,000 affected customers reported to have been getting their supply of water.

"This morning I got a further update at 8 am that a number of other communities started receiving. So I anticipate that out of the 200,000 citizens impacted in North Trinidad, approximately 50 to 60 per cent of those customers, as of 8 am, started to get their supply of water.

He said the system was dry during the three days of repair at the Caroni plant.

"So, it would take a longer period of time for the system to be entirely charged and for pressures to build so that those customers on the higher end, like in Santa Cruz, in St Barbs, Gonzales and other parts of Port of Spain, will start getting that supply of water later today and into tomorrow (Sunday)."

On Saturday, WASA's acting CEO Kelvin Romain said by 3 pm, a water supply had been returned to about 75 per cent of customers. He added a few areas in Laventille, Gonzales, Santa Cruz and others had yet to receive a supply.

Gonzales said a lot of the storage reservoirs have depleted, so the water coming back into the system is now refilling the reservoirs and tanks.