By Sue-Ann Wayow
ALMOST half of the water being produced by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is being leaked out before it could reach the taps in customers’ homes and buildings.
This results in approximately $287 million being lost annually.
This was stated by Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales on Wednesday as he spoke at the World Water Day Caribbean Regional Conference 2023.
It was the first time, the ministry was hosting the conference held at Hilton Hotel , Lady Young Road, Port-of-Spain with emphasis placed on water loss.
Gonzales said the $200 plus million was no lunch money and could instead be used to upgrade the ageing infrastructure without recourse or additional government intervention.
Last week, WASA’s chairman Ravindra Nanga said WASA has fixed 5,000 outstanding leaks and by the end of this month, will be looking at dealing with current leaks.
Gonzales said, “We expect to remove that backlog, somewhere in the region of 800, I am advised by the end of this month, thereby positioning the utility company to be able to respond to every report of leaks within a 24 to 48 hour period.”
The minister said next month, there will be a relaunching of the leak repair app where customers and citizens would be able to report leaks.
