Wasa debt linked to unc ‘madness

PLANNING MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley yesterday announced that after Govern-ment restructures Caroni (1975) Limited,  it will be dealing with yet another of its predecessor’s (UNC) disasters, the Desalination Plant at Point Lisas. Addressing a luncheon hosted by the Port-of-Spain Rotary Club at the Queens Park Oval, Dr Rowley revealed that the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) had a $2 billion debt which was linked directly to the UNC’s “madness” for WASA to enter into a long-term contract to purchase water from Desalcott.

Speaking afterwards with reporters, Rowley declared: “The problem is that WASA is the best producer in the country. Up until the desalination plant came into being, WASA was producing 180 million gallons of water for which they were collecting about roughly $35 million. The UNC added 20 million (gallons) more..200 million gallons but 20 million is costing WASA $15 million per month ...180 million is bringing in 25 million or thereabouts..20 million is costing us $15M per month in a long term contract.That’s every year for the next 30 years. In the meantime, to keep WASA going the Government  has to be borrowing money or authorising WASA to borrow money to keep the services going. When the desalination plant was being built, I moved a motion in the Parliament asking the Government not to enter into that contract because it is madness to be earning $45 million and paying 15 of that for 10 percent of the water.” The Minister said because of the UNC’s bungling, Government could not break the contract without incurring a liability and Cabinet was now examining how to address this problem.

Rowley slammed the UNC for its continued opposition to the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Trinidad and Tobago and said if Britain decided at a future date to deny Commonwealth nations access to the Privy Council, Government would have to amend the laws to create an alternative final court of appeal. He added that the Court of Appeal would be that alternative if there was no CCJ. The Minister said contrary to UNC claims, Government was not on a wild-spending spree but carefully devising “a roadmap” that would take the country to developed nation status. He chronicled Government’s progress in the education, health, energy and the financial sectors to emphasise his point. Rowley predicted that TT could become the “Brussels of the Americas” if it is successful in gaining the required votes to become the headquarters of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).