By Sue-Ann Wayow
WHILE there is a long-term plan in place to address water issues in the constituency of Mayaro, short-term feasible options were needed.
To discuss these measures, Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) officials met with Mayaro’s Member of Parliament Rushton Paray recently.
Also attending the meeting were members of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation and members of various village councils.
The meeting was aimed to address the inadequate water distribution service experienced by communities in and around Mayaro.
WASA heard concerns pertaining to scheduling, water trucking, communications, road repairs, water pressure and the issue of landslips within the authority’s purview, a release from the MP stated.
Paray said access to water was an essential human right that could not be assigned a price tag and prolonged periods of 10, 14, and 21 days without water were irresponsible, unacceptable and inhumane in the year 2023.
While he acknowledged the medium and long-term strategies outlined by WASA to achieve a 24/5 or 24/7 water supply across the entire constituency, he highlighted the urgent need to address the immediate requirements of the affected population.
Paray proposed considering a decentralised model for water trucking and customer trucking requests in collaboration with the regional corporation.
WASA also committed to addressing some of the key concerns raised by the village councils, focusing on feasible short-term solutions.
WASA pledged to keep Paray informed of the progress made in both the medium and long-term initiatives, while also committing to explore enhanced water trucking methods to meet the pressing needs of the affected communities.
Plans for a similar meeting were announced for the Rio Claro/Biche community.
