PUBLIC Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales claims that 70% of Trinidad and Tobago’s population will have a continuous water supply by the end of 2024.
This marks a significant increase from the 32% coverage in 2020 when Gonzales first took office.
Speaking during the Budget debate in the Lower House on Monday, Gonzales said the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has completed over 191 projects, benefiting more than half a million citizens.
He said achievements include providing water to areas like Morne Diablo, Penal, for the first time in 30 years, despite facing threats from a longstanding criminal water trucking scheme.
Gonzales commended the success of the well development programme, announcing the drilling of 14 new wells across the nation, including in Cascade, Belmont, and St Ann’s. Further plans include improving water access in Signal Hill, Tobago, and Sangre Grande.
Significant infrastructure projects are also underway, supported by an $80 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). This funding will facilitate the construction of the Goldsborough water treatment plant in Tobago East and other key facilities, he said.
The minister also challenge previous claims by the former UNC-led government about their water supply achievements, labelling them as inaccurate.
He said in 2013, former UNC government minister Ganga Singh commissioned a desalination plant in Point Fortin and boasted that this ended four decades of water woes. He said the UNC failed to achieve 70% water supply by 2015 and when Singh had assumed office, the water supply was about 13% and this was doubled whee they left office.
Gonzales said the current administration’s tangible progress, including the drilling of 15 wells that have boosted water production by over six million gallons per day.
Looking ahead, Gonzales announced that WASA will undergo a leadership transformation in November, aiming to further enhance the nation’s water infrastructure and services.
