The Water and Sewerage Authority has contingency plans in place in case the current desalination plan shutdown, which has affected water supply to half of T&T, extends beyond the planned Monday cut-off date, Water Resources Minister Ganga Singh said yesterday. At yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Singh spoke about the shutdown, which is currently affecting water supply to 40 southern/central areas and 11 northern areas.
The desal plant at Pt Lisas (Desalcott) has been shut down to allow expansion work in the plant’s daily output by January. The work is expected to increase its daily output from 32 million gallons (MG) a day to 40 MG. It began on Wednesday and is due to end Monday but when asked if the shutdown would definitely end on that date, Singh said in engineering there was a level of uncertainty. He said Desalcott had indicated six days were needed for the work.
“And I hope they stick to that but I am wary of giving assurances that it will take place then,” he added. Saying WASA had contingency plans, Singh added the Government had been assured of a six-day job by Desalcott but could not give that assurance to the public. So far, he said, the company said work was proceeding to plan and there had been positive feedback for the first day’s operation.
Singh said a ten-point plan was in place to provide water to areas affected by the shortage, which had cut the overall local supply of 232MG a day by 32 MG. Affected areas which have been put on special schedules for the six days range from Ben Lomond to Hindustan among nine southeast areas; from Cocoyea to Fyzabad among 19 areas in the southwest; from St Helena to San Fernando among 12 south central areas and from Belmont to Santa Cruz among 11 areas in the East-West Corridor.
Singh said “hot spot” areas particularly affected included Plaisance Park, Reform, Diamond, Siparia, Erin, Vessigny, Tableland as well as in the north El Socorro, Laventille, Malick, Mt D’Or and Santa Cruz. He said all production facilities were fully operational, all reservoirs would be filled and water-trucking facilities would provide 75MG to various areas.
The south west, which has the most affected areas, will receive 47 million gallons and the north 28 million. Some 91 trucks are being used and truckborne supplies are being monitored twice daily. WASA has identified schools, medical institutions, Fire Services, cities/borough and key commercial districts as being among 172 critical customers. Bottled water and similar facilities have been arranged for schools, Singh said.
WASA is also linking with MPs of the various areas as well as other groups and stakeholders to ensure supplies keep flowing. Special effort is being made to ensure a 24/7 supply for Pt Lisas Industrial Estate. Singh said it took 300 MG of water to make a ton of methanol and without water Pt Lisas would not be able to operate. He said 19 MG from the Caroni plant would go to Pt Lisas.
Some 87 crews have also been contracted to do pipeline repairs. He said a pinhole breach on a Beetham line caused a 40-foot geyser to spout up into the air earlier this week. On the cost of the shutdown, Singh said the significant cost aspect would be water-trucking but costs would be worked out when the exercise was completed
The minister said a significant major investment was needed to replace and repair pipelines along WASA’s 7,000 km of pipelines, since leaks prevented supply reaching all consumers though more water was being produced. He noted there had been an increase in the percentage of the public receiving daily round-the-clock supply, from 18 per cent to 49 per cent.