Wasteful WASA

As a matter of fact, it is getting worse. Put simply, the water situation in this country is a mess.

There are constant leaks — often geysers — sprouting up all over the place. A steady stream of water runs down my street — if indeed we are privileged to get water for the day. This stream has been steady enough to carve a strip out of the road. WASA is actually creating a river in my street.

To make matters worse, I have called and reported these leaks to WASA for decades now. No joke.

Sometimes WASA fixes the leak, but in a matter of days, it returns with a vengeance.

And when the leaks return — my stream now has tributaries — I spend months on the phone begging, pleading or cajoling with WASA to fix the leak until I finally lose my temper. WASA is reducing me to a cynical and grumpy woman.

The WASA hotline takes my information ad nauseam, asks me for a light pole number or house number to find the leak — no joke — and then takes my telephone number. I don’t know why they need my telephone number because no one ever calls me.

“Where is the leak located exactly?” the telephone operator asks every time.

“How should I know? That’s your job to find out. I have no idea where exactly the leak originates from. Just drive up the road until you see the leak. It runs down the entire road.” Those directions don’t seem to be clear enough because the leak doesn’t get fixed. This is the routine for years at a time. I just keep wasting time and money calling WASA.

To add insult to injury, I have to listen to all of those inane WASA public service announcements when I call. At the top of my list is the one that claims you can wash your dog in half a bucket of water.

Really? That’s preposterous.

It’s also probably animal cruelty because there’s no way you could rinse all the soap off a dog with half a bucket of water. But we don’t really care about animal cruelty in this country either.

WASA’s public service messages anger and frustrate those of use who are constantly on the phone reporting leaks: all of us who are genuinely concerned about the environment and water conservation.

Does WASA not realise how it erodes public confidence in government when it can’t figure out a consistent way to provide water on a regular basis to all the people of Trinidad and Tobago? It is difficult to feel like this country is functioning, let alone progressing when it can’t even figure out how to improve its infrastructure and provide a regular water supply.

I think it is safe to say that WASA contributes to productivity problems in this country. I certainly don’t go to work feeling at the top of my game when there is no water for the weekend. I resent going to work and wondering all day if I’ll meet water when I get home. That can’t be one of my most productive work days.

The Government has to get its act together to rectify WASA’s problems. The Government must hold WASA accountable for doing a better job.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago deserve better than this.The population, therefore, can rest assured that this matter has been resolved once and for all.

Now, it’s on to the next election