Endless horrors from WASA

THE EDITOR: I am quite surprised and outraged by WASA’s self righteous attitude towards collecting arrears of $500 million from its debtors. Their attitude however typifies Government’s approach in dealing with the people as it seems that WASA has thought little or nothing of the suffering of the people to get a little water during the year.

Now, I have one of those households whose water rates have fallen behind, and at present I owe for the last two quarters of 2003. The reason being is that while I set money aside, concientiously every month to pay the bill, there were times during the respective quarters when I had to use that same money and go into my grocery money to purchase a truck load of water. I live in the Chaguanas suburbs and during the last six months, there were several occasions when I had to purchase water from private operators. I have had to increase my water tanks from two to three as the spells between the water supply has been lengthening. And WASA is damn well aware of how their poor  service has had me begging and pleading for the last year.

I recall there was a scenario when I was hosting a wedding and there was no water for about a week, so I had to purchase at least two truck loads of water. I have approached WASA for a refund of money spent to buy water by way of offset, but they claim that this is not consistent with the collections order they have from the Regulated Industries Com-mission. Come to think of it,  the only thing they have excelled at is the pay package for the CEO, limousines for officials and hiring the husbands of Government Ministers at patronising salaries. Oh, and by the way — what about the money that Mr Grimes was supposed to repay the Government which his line Minister never approved?  Did he repay it? Is it in arrears? Moreover, whenever I get water, it’s like mud soup, and this places enormous pressure on  household filters. So I have to find money to change the filter nearly twice per month. They can’t expect me to give the children this water so I have to incur more expense to purchase bottled water which, incidentally, I see a lot of Government Ministers flashing at news conferences.

This brings me to the “Faeces in the Water” fiasco, which WASA tried to duck out of.  I note that they tried their best to first say that it wasn’t their fault, then they said it was due to a contractor, then they said it wasn’t faeces, but some other contaminant. Whatever it was, our water supply was polluted, especially for people in the Central area, and we did in fact get the nastiest smelling water in the tap, which made you feel to vomit by just the smell, and children were treated by the doctor for drinking this water. Remember the Central schools, WASA? The fact is we had to run to the grocery and parlour to buy bottled water for at least a week. This is the kind of water pressure that we have been getting from WASA and they are now telling us about arrears?

Shame on WASA! For the record, I will be settling my bills but on my own terms.  So long as I get a potable and reliable supply that represents value for money, they don’t have anything to worry about.  However, should they play “farse” and send bill collectors or try to disconnect me, then there will be hell to pay, as I recall sometime ago under a past PNM administration, WASA went to disconnect for arrears in the Beetham  and they had to retreat from the hail of balisier big stone that greeted them.
Best wishes

LYSTRA MARAJH
Glencoe