By Sue-Ann Wayow
CHANGES to the Tyrico Water Treatment Plant and repairs to ageing pipelines are now contributing to a steadier water supply in the north coast area.
Last month, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Executive Evolution Team, led by acting CEO Jeevan Joseph, as part of the authority’s nationwide infrastructure assessment and community engagement tour, visited the north coast to interact first-hand with members of the fishing village to determine their supply needs.
They heard at that meeting, for three decades, fisherman Adrian Baptiste and his neighbours along Hamilton Road off Maracas Bay Old Road have known only the frustration of an unreliable water supply using buckets and water rationing.
Baptiste, 45, a husband and father of three, is happy three weeks later that his hometown now has a five-day-a-week water supply.
He is reported saying in a WASA media release on Wednesday, “Since I’m living here, it is the first time that water flowed in my face basin tap inside my home, and the pressure is so good, even the bathroom shower … I now know how it feels to have water hitting yuh back.”
Natasha Bharat, 46, a lifelong Maracas Bay resident, recalls days when weak pressure or dry taps meant lost income.
“The fisherfolk depend heavily on water to not only sustain their families, but our livelihood, and I am thankful to WASA for all the work that they have done to ensure that our village receives a good water supply,” she also said in the release.
WASA stated on a follow-up visit to Maracas on August 11, the Acting CEO was pleased that WASA’s efforts to improve the levels of service had proved to be successful.
Joseph praised and commended the team from the Authority’s Asset Maintenance and Operations Division, North-West.
“We have to make a difference in the lives of people. This isn’t just about infrastructure. It’s about dignity, health, and giving families access to potable water.”
WASA stated, “As WASA continues its evolution toward a service-driven utility, communities like Maracas Bay and Charlieville serve to remind the Authority of its mandate to deliver a reliable, equitable and sustainable water supply to all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
