Problem: Earla Sylvester, of Petit Curacaye, off Santa Cruz Old Road, said, “In my community there is a WASA booster pump that services the whole Petit Curacaye area. I live approximately one to 1.5 minutes’ drive away from the booster pump on a hill.
“The problem experienced in my community especially for those who live on the hill is that since 2008 we have not been receiving a proper and/or adequate supply of water. Requests would be made to the authority for a truck-borne supply of water which is not readily available. There is either a very long wait before you get the supply or you don’t receive any at all.”
Ms Sylvester said she has contacted both WASA and the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) “to find out what is the problem and why can’t we get a proper and/or adequate supply of water. To date, no valid reason was been forthcoming with respect to rectifying this situation.” She said in a household of eight, with young children, it is extremely difficult and expensive to maintain with no water, as she has to pay someone to transport laundry to and from her mother’s house.
She said, “I am at my wits’ end. I don’t know where to turn. I’m tired of calling WASA and also tired of calling RIC. As a citizen I pay my taxes which are high and I also have a right to proper service.”
Solution: WASA said the supply to the Petit Curacaye area continues to be affected by the below-normal rainfall conditions being experienced since the start of the wet season. This, in turn, is affecting WASA’s reserves and subsequent production at the Caroni Water Treatment Plant, which also serves Petit Curacaye. The normal schedule for Petit Curacaye is Mondays and Fridays from 6 pm to 6 am but with the reduced supply the schedule is sometimes not met.
A new pipeline project is due to commence in the area to improve the supply to the Petit Curacaye Booster. This will move the level of service from two days a week to two to five days and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2014. The authority will also continue to provide a truck-borne water-delivery service to supplement the lack of a pipe-borne supply to customers in Petit Curacaye and other areas. Customers are asked to call the authority’s toll-free numbers at 800-4420/4426 to make a request to receive the service.
Problem: Pinto Road, Arima, resident Karen Benito said she is getting the runaround from the National Commission for Self Help to complete the necessary work on her house so she could bring her daughter home from the hospital.
Ms Benito said although her four-and-a-half-year-old daughter Nariella Mitchell, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular dystrophy over three years ago, was officially discharged from the High Dependency Unit, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, since January, Nariella remains warded, as the construction on Ms Benito’s home is unfinished.
She said she submitted an application for a $15,000 grant to the commission’s office on June 17, but no assessment officer contacted her, even though she visited the office on three separate occasions to follow up.
Solution: The National Commission for Self Help confirmed that Benito’s application had been received and said an officer has been assigned to do a site visit.