Princes Town MP Barry Padarath says that Minister Marvin Gonzales failed to address the issues at the Navet Water Treatment Plant in Rio Claro and the transmission pipelines in Barrackpore in a timely manner. He is also calling on the government to address the aging infrastructure at the Navet Dam and the Barrackpore lines since the aging infrastructure has further deteriorated. Details follow in this press release.
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, the Opposition Shadow Minister of Public Utilities slammed Minister Marvin Gonzales for his failure to address the issues at the Navet Water Treatment Plant in Rio Claro and the transmission pipelines in Barrackpore in a timely manner. These issues saw residents of several south constituencies without water for over one month.
Padarath indicated that Gonzales made a big song and dance when he was appointed Minister of Public Utilities about ensuring a timely response from WASA to address infrastructural matters and water scheduling, however there has been very little action to improve upon these issues that continue to affect citizens adversely.
The Princes Town MP called on the government to address the aging infrastructure at the Navet Dam and the Barrackpore lines since for the past few years the aging infrastructure has further deteriorated causing residents of many communities in south to go without water for weeks and months.
Padarath recalled in 2018, the government announced plans through then Minister Robert Le Hunte to embark on major infrastructural replacement projects in these areas yet these projects were mere announcements and never materialised. The pump installed at Navet is a bandage to a major wound and Padarath predicts that residents serviced by the Navet Dam in Rio Claro and Tableland would continue to have problems for pipe borne water in the near future.
The Princes Town MP congratulated residents of Penal and Rio Claro for voicing their concerns through protest action and for also recognising that under a Kamla Persad Bissessar administration, they did not experience water problems as they have been experiencing under this PNM regime. He added that the comments and placards from residents of Penal in appreciation of the work of former Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar that was done in that area, was a testament that Mrs. Persad Bissessar was committed to not only developing the urban areas in the country but all the communities in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Opposition Shadow Minister for Public Utilities has made a further call on the government to address major WASA infrastructural changes to communities, not only in Port of Spain and Diego Martin but also in Penal, Rio Claro, tableland and Oropouche in Monday's budget presentation.
He added that all eyes and ears would be focused on what government has to say about WASA and road rehabilitation in Monday's budget presentation. He advised the Minister to stop the gallerying and public relations and get down to some meaningful work that would bring about real change at WASA with real results.