WASA launches operational control centre

HOUSEHOLDERS can expect a more efficient supply of water with the launch of a digitised, real-time control hub for water production and distribution at a ceremony on July 10 at WASA's headquarters at St Joseph.

Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales told reporters the $18 million cost of the WASA's Operational Control Centre was money well spent.

The centre is a long oval-shaped room, with two walls each having a room-length screen displaying data, monitored by about a dozen engineers.

The minister said the centre will help control of WASA's daily operations and troubleshooting such as discovering leaks, and waste water management.

Gonzales said the hub had been fully operational from before the recent passage of Hurricane Beryl, monitoring all of WASA's operations.

However he said the facility was a work in progress that would be updated by new technology, such as 360 data loggers due to be installed next month.

The centre will monitor WASA's key installations and the distribution system, the minister explained, even as a WASA's capacity is expanded by a loan from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).

He said the hub lets WASA monitor its services to customers especially water-supply, unlike the past where it got information via social media posts, and respond in real time.

"So it provides a very powerful tool to all of the operators, not only to manage from a remote perspective but to ensure they are meeting the schedules to provide people with water, as well as to monitor our waste water facilities.

"So this is going to really impact directly the quality of service WASA is going to provide to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, because it now has information at its disposal and can respond in real time to issues that might impact its level of service."

With the hub built on-time and under-budget, he said the $18 million cost had included the construction of the centre, provision of software and wall screens, and training for operators.

"It is $18 million well spent because the authority for the first time has modern technology to monitor its transmission and distribution system."

Saying IDB financing would have caused a delay, Gonzales said it was funded by the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

The completion of the facility within a year speaks of the turnaround at WASA.

Asked if 260 tablets supplied to operators might go missing, he said WASA today was not the same as WASA of yesteryear.

"There is a high degree of accountability and transparency. You have managers who are committed to the task."

He said the facility will be up kept by Control Tech Ltd, which he proudly said was a local firm.

"Had this system been in operation, the fiasco at Morne Diablo would not have been a reality. The Morne Diablo situation existed for 20 years, not being known by the managers of the authority, the board.

"Had this system been in operation, after the first week of Morne Diablo not getting water, this system would have alerted the management of WASA that something is wrong in Morne Diablo."

Gonzales was referring to the recent discovery that the WASA water-supply to a village had been deliberately locked off, so as to force villagers to have to pay for truck-borne water which ironically was tapped from WASA's supply.

"Wherever you have a disruption, be it from a mechanical perspective or a man-made sabotage or what have you, this system will tell you something is wrong and appropriate action is needed. That is the value of this system."

He said the hub created job opportunities for tech-savvy youngsters, plus an opportunity for existing staff at WASA to up scale themselves.

Gonzales said this system renders TT the region's leader in water management, ahead even of Jamaica and The Bahamas.

He said during Hurricane Beryl, a radar tower linked to the centre was able to supply updates to the ministry and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM.) Listing recent achievement with WASA such as more boosters stations, pumps and pipelines, he nonetheless said TT was not out of the woods, as WASA was a work in progress, such as having to mitigate against the climate crisis.

Newsday asked about help to the public utilities in the hurricane-hit Grenadine islands shared between Grenada and St Vincent.

Gonzales said, "T&TEC will be sending up three crews and some managers, some trucks, conductors and other material, to assist in the restoration of electricity supply to the people of Grenada. We are also looking at some other requests that are coming in from some parts of St Vincent."

He said T&TEC did similar 20 years ago, helping Grenada.

"Twenty four hours after Hurricane Beryl passed, the Minister of Public Utilities was in the Senate explaining to the UNC why the electricity supply was not restored to the people of Tobago. Twenty four hours! Some parts of Tobago were still raining and dangerous.

"But within 36 hours WASA and T&TEC were able to go into service and restore utility supply to all our affected citizens, something we should all be proud about. But in this country where you have the UNC..."

Asked if Hurricane Beryl had helped alleviate TT's reservoirs, he said, "No. Unfortunately not.

"There is some improvement in Caroni Arena and Navet, but not (to) where we are supposed to be."

He said those reservoirs were still "way below" their long term average.

"We are literally praying for some intense rainfall in TT, so our reservoirs can be in a place where in the next 20 or 30 days we can have a sustainable supply of water.

"But it has not brought any major kind of relief to our reservoirs."

The event was also earlier addressed by Planning Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, WASA chairman Ravindra Nanga, WASA CEO Kelvin Romain, WASA director of corporate services Alisha Romano and WASA head of network intelligence Andronicus Williams.

When guests visited the centre after the formalities, Romano and Williams talked them through the workings of the facility. WASA management assistant Gloren Williams won a standing ovation from guests for singing a gospel song during the programme that she hoped would inspire all.