As the planned nine-day maintenance shutdown of the Point Lisas Desalination Plant begins today, all customers are being assured of a consistent water supply during this time.
The assurance came from Water and Sewerage Authority CEO Kelvin Romain, during a press conference at the Desalination Company of Trinidad and Tobago at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.
Romaine said Desalcott is contracted to supply WASA with 40 million gallons for water per day, of which 12 to 15 million gallons are supplied to the industrial estate, with the remainder going to the domestic market.
While this deficit will negatively affect WASA, he said they expect to supplement that deficit with the Caroni Water Treatment Plant, Navet Treatment Plant and the Desalination Plant in Point Fortin.
"What I want to assure our customers of, is that we would have a schedule in place to ensure business continuity… meaning that because of the deficit, we would have to add additional supply and we would have customers who would have experienced a 24/7 supply and 24/5 supply with a reduced amount of supply, but a consistent supply during the week, albeit at intermittent days… and that would facilitate other customers on the system who would have reeled from the deficit to get a supply," Romain explained.
The WASA CEO also assured that customers who only receive truck-borne supplies that they would continue to receive a supply, and that truck-borne water also would be available upon request.
"I want assure our customers that during this period, we expect that everyone would receive a supply, albeit through some schedules," Romain said.
Meanwhile, Desalcott's Managing Director, John Thompson, explained that the plant has to shut down once a year for maintenance. Thompson said they will try to complete the work before the scheduled time, but noted the work is necessary to ensure the plant is reliable during the dry season.
Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales has talked about weaning WASA off Desalcott. He has pointed out, however, that the company continue to supply WASA with water, very close to its contractual agreement of 40 gallons of imperial water per day.
According to the minister, any shortfall "is very small between half and five percent."
While there are no water restrictions in place, WASA’s Corporate Communications Manager, Daniel Plenty, urged customers to conserve water during this time.
He also encouraged them to contact WASA through its online customer service portal and its WASA Services App.
