KEVON FELMINE
Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Illegal tampering on pipelines transporting raw water to treatment plants has prompted the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to issue an urgent warning to the public to refrain from buying truck-borne water.
WASA chairman Ravindra Nanga confirmed to Guardian Media yesterday that there is reasonable suspicion that illegal water truckers are selling untreated water, which could contain impurities that can harm people.
In a media release on Saturday, WASA advised the public that it had received reports of private water trucks filling from the washout of its well fields, particularly those in Siparia and Morne Diablo, Penal.
Expanding on the issue, Nanga said WASA had increased security patrols at its well fields as it reviews security infrastructure, including the incoming automation of its pipeline system.
Nanga said after Morne Diablo residents complained about not having a regular pipe-borne water supply, Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales indicated an illegal water trucking operation in the area.
WASA undertook relief work, relaying 2 kilometres of pipes in 20 days. Nanga said this work finished on Saturday, and WASA charged the line so residents could get water in their taps.
However, he said WASA detected a pressure drop on lines between a well field and a booster station. Checks revealed a breach in the line, and while WASA did not have evidence, it suspected illegal water truckers had tampered with it.
Connecting the dots, Nanga said WASA installed valves on the line. Although they are not quite tamper-proof, there are alarms, he said.
“What happened was that there is what we refer to as a washout valve that would allow us to clear the system in the event we need to repair leaks and things like that. Apparently, it was accessed in the area of the washout valve. When we went down, we saw that the line was tapped. There was a connection made in that area of this system so that when it was accessed, of course, it would drop the pressure. That was how we were able to detect that there was tampering going on,” Nanga said.
WASA said the activity was not only illegal but unsafe, as water taken from washouts is untreated and unsafe for potable use because it did not undergo the necessary treatment to remove harmful pathogens. Therefore, it advised of the inherent health risks associated with purchasing truck-borne water from private water contractors.
Nanga said WASA also discovered Morne Diablo residents were paying for water.
“We are not sure what impurities are coming straight out of the well, but of course, drinking untreated water always carries a risk of some waterborne disease. That was why once we identified the issue, we acted promptly and sent out that release to warn persons: ‘Do not accept water deliveries from these unauthorised trucks. Only access water from our authorised trucks.’ Of course, once you access water from our system, it is free of charge.”
Responding to the issue, Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo said he wanted authorities to bring the contractors to justice, as they know they are selling water illegally. He said the public should know who they are so people will not do business with them.
Mayrhoo said if WASA had done its job of delivering potable drinking water to customers, the incident would not have happened. He said scarcity creates a black market and because of a lack of water in people’s taps, contractors are now filling tanks and selling unsafe water to unsuspecting people.
“WASA has fallen down on the job because there are not even trucks in the affected areas to service those areas. That is why consumers will grasp the opportunity to buy water because they do not have and WASA is not keeping up with their mandate of providing potable water,” Mayrhoo said.
Meanwhile, Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) chairman Gowtam Maharaj said the problem seemed like a management failure at WASA. Maharaj said the PDRC gets funds from the Ministry of Finance and permission from WASA to fill up and supply water to non-WASA customers. However, he said the PDRC provides some WASA customers who cannot access pipe-borne water because they live in high areas and cannot get a truck-borne supply from the utility company. He called on WASA to waive its policy of not supplying truck-borne water to its customers in arrears.
WASA is asking the public to contact its Security Department at 662-2318 to report any observation of illegal water abstraction at its wells or other facilities and/or sale of same.