WASA says a ‘protest for water’ which it learned was planned for today was unfortunate, considering its policy of engaging all stakeholders in open, honest and meaningful dialogue.

The focus of the protest was on the challenges faced by customers in central and south Trinidad.

WASA says despite the challenges to some of these areas, it managed to navigate the dry season, which it anticipated would have affected the country’s water resources.

Meanwhile, it adds that the south and central supply zones continue to be at the forefront of planning with several water supply improvement projects already completed.

“Prior to the onset of the 2024 dry season, the Authority in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, collaborated on an approach in anticipation of a projected, harsh dry season. Issues including below average rainfall, climate change and its impact on the country’s water resources were presented to the public as the Authority activated a robust dry season water management plan. On Monday 13th May 2024, the Authority and the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, hosted by the Ministry of Public Utilities, returned to the national community and advised of the impact of prolonged, harsh dry season conditions, with reservoirs well below their long-term averages.

Mitigation measures announced at this press conference included:

• The immediate establishment of a Central Command Centre to monitor production and supply challenges on a 24-hour basis.
• Increased water trucking capacity with service centralized to the Command Centre with regional trucking schedules established.
• The Customer Call Centre now operational on a 24-hour basis to receive and address the needs of impacted communities.
• Three additional hotline numbers have been added and in operation between 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (463-8360/496-6738/709-7793).
• Supply redistributed from more resilient areas to adversely affected areas.
• DESALCOTT provided an additional supply to bolster southwest and south-central supply zones. 1/2
• Seven Seas Desalination contracted to increase production by an additional 300,000 gallons of water daily.
• National water supply schedules revised and published.
• Health institutions, senior citizen homes, schools and religious institutions remain a priority. These initiatives provided support for the overall dry season water management plan for Trinidad and Tobago.

Despite the challenges to areas including Caparo Valley, Waterloo, Freeport, Springvale, Dow Village, Debe, Clarke Road, Lower Barrackpore, Penal, Scott’s Road and others, the Authority has managed to navigate the dry season, and we now welcome the wet season where a complete recharge of our reservoirs is expected, upon which our pipe-borne delivery is anticipated to return to established schedules. Current supply schedules continue to be posted on the Authority’s social media platforms. The south and central supply zones continue to be at the forefront of planning at the Authority. In fact, several water supply improvement projects have already been completed and commissioned with a significant number of households now enjoying an improved pipe-borne water supply.”