WASA chief: Storm put us under pressure

At a seminar/workshop on "Firefighting in Urban Centres and Industrial Nodes" at the Crowne Plaza yesterday, Grimes told Newsday that WASA was working to restore operations after sustaining extensive damage from Tropical Depression 27.

"We are not at a standstill, but we are trying to restore water supply," he said.

He confessed that the desalination plant, which was commissioned during the UNC administration, had a disruption a few days ago and was not operational.

"The plant was tripped and we are having problems. We are having lots of incidents," he stated.

He added that WASA was working to bring conditions back to order.

Grimes also blamed the lack of clean water supply on the tropical depression, stating that the Water from the Hollis Reservoir was dirty after a number of landslips and debris entered the system as a result of the heavy rains caused by the tropical depression.

"We are only using the top half of water at the Hollis Reservoir," he said.

He said WASA operators had to be airlifted by helicopters because of the landslides and landslips at the reservoir. "We are trying to use alternate supplies," he disclosed.

Concerning the lack of water in the Belmont Gonzales community, he said the Picton pump was undergoing electrical problems.

"We had a lot of power outages recently and this has affected the supply, but some communities are back to normal," he said.

The Picton pump also had operational problems a few months ago, and residents from the Laventille/Belmont community protested the lack of water by blocking the roads with debris, causing huge traffic pile-ups.

Meanwhile, East/West corridor residents, and the Golden Grove Prison have also been complaining of the lack of water, or about filthy water in the pipes.

Prison officers at the Golden Grove Maximum Security Prison complained that there has been a water shortage for the past two weeks.

They said that inmates have not taken a bath in the past six days.

Grimes admitted that the prison does not have pipeborne water, but has been getting water from 20 trucks in the area.

Concerning the seminar, Grimes confessed that the water mains in Port-of-Spain were not designed to take the pressure put on the fire hydrants during a fire.

"The Fire Services attach a pump to the hydrant and the hydrants were to be used only for domestic purposes," he said.

Grimes also said that Government funding is slow, and it will take billions of dollars to bring plans to fruition for a 20/20 vision.

"It will take a large investment to put in infrastructures with the demands of Port-of-Spain," he said.