Rowley: WASA to control all sewer plants

HOUSING MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley declared that all sewerage treatment plants in Trinidad and Tobago will now be controlled by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Addressing yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Dr Rowley disclosed that there were 200 sewerage treatment plants in TT and under the WASA Act, the Authority was supposed to be in charge of all these facilities. However, the Minister said over time several plants had been built by the public and private sectors and “remained under the control of these agencies.” Rowley added that this has resulted in many of the plants being poorly maintained, resulting in environmental problems.

He said Government yesterday took the first step to remedying this longstanding ill by authorising WASA to assume control on a phased basis, of 35 sewerage treatment plants currently controlled by the National Housing Authority and its agencies. Rowley also stated that WASA has been instructed to present the relevant operational arrangements (including costs) to Public Utilities Minister Pennelope Beckles “which would allow WASA to take over these plants and to maintain to the standard required by law. From here on in, as we build new housing estates, the sewer treatment plants associated with these estates will immediately be taken over by WASA. What we expect is that we will not have agencies trying to do jobs for which they are poorly prepared and that the agency whose core function it is to do that duty, will do so,” Rowley declared.