Scores of Penal residents staged a fiery protest yesterday morning as they called for a regular supply of water in their communities. Complaining that for the last 21 days they had received neither pipe borne nor truck borne water, residents of Solomon Knox Road and Lachoos Road believe they are being victimised by WASA.
Glenford Ramnarine, who was among scores of placard-toting residents who blocked the road from about 5 am, said on Monday he received a phone call from a WASA official who told him to call off the protest.
“Yesterday (Monday) they send water 10 o’ clock and it have water in the pipe now, but for 21 days we have no water, that is wrong.” He promised to continue protest action if residents are not given a regular supply of water.
“We will continue this protest on- and- on until this nonsense stop. We cannot have this going on in this country, people suffering for water and bills coming. That is unfair. That is high class robbery.”
Shiva Roopnarine, president of the Penal Debe Chamber of Commerce who lives in the area and is also affected by the water shortage, said, “Residents here have been without water for 21 days and some of us for two months. We have been paying our WASA bills on time and we have been making reports to WASA on numerous occasions.
“Personally, I have been making requests for truck borne water for a year and half now. My office is about four buildings from the WASA’s office in Penal. Every week we will get a number and to date I have not received
truck borne water from WASA. I am in full support of this protest by residents, it is the only way that water will get here.” He said the fact that they were now receiving water shows that they could have been getting water all along. “Only when we protest we are delivered a basic service such as water,” he said, adding, “We all see it as victimisation. We all see it as somebody in water not doing their job properly and not allowing us to have a basic supply of water. We are
paying our WASA bills and we are not getting water. Imagine when we pay the property tax what will happen.” He added that he was in support of the property tax, but he felt that the level of taxes and the timing not appropriate at this time.
Speaking to the media yesterday, Public Utilities Minister, Fitzgerald Hinds, said he saw the protest in Penal and was becoming convinced that it had motivation other than the need for water. He said, I saw some protest taking place in Penal and I contacted the councillor” for the area. . He said it was a highly charged political environment. Hinds said he contacted councillor Diptee Ramnath who assured him that there were truck borne supplies of water being provided on Monday night and yesterday morning to about 15 households who are not connected to the water grid. He said WASA has improved the pipe borne water supply to the Penal, Debe, Siparia and Fyzabad communities.
In a statement the Public Utilities Ministry said is recognised efforts made by the WASA to manage the country’s water resources during the period of the dry season, which occurs every year between the months of January to June.
It said, “Notwithstanding this, the Ministry notes with great interest, that some residents of the Penal / Debe area have chosen to engage in protest action , despite the fact that water has been distributed to that area on Sunday and Monday in keeping with the published revised water schedule.” The release added: “In addition, the area has also benefited from a truck borne water service in a bid to augment the supplies distributed through WASA’s system, and in adherence to the published schedule of the past week.
WASA reports that the area at Solomon Knox Road off Lachoos Road in Penal, where the protest took place received a pipe borne supply on Monday night. The water pressure was considered adequate for households.The ministry is advised that this was confirmed by the local government representative for the area.”
-With reporting by RISHI RAGOONATH
