WASA Pledges Six-Week Fix For Mt. D'or Booster Pump
Relief is finally in sight for residents of Mt. D’or, who have gone more than three years without a reliable pipe-borne water supply.
On Monday, the Member of Parliament for Aranguez/St. Joseph Devesh Maharaj and Acting Minister of Public Utilities Khadijah Ameen toured the area alongside officials from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).
During the tour, it was noted that the booster pump station serving the community of Mt. D’or has been out of operation for several years.
MP Devesh Maharaj said that, following discussions with officials from WASA, work is now expected to begin to restore the station.
« We are highlighting a problem that we have had in this community whilst campaigning for this constituency Aranguez/St Joseph. This is the area known as Mt D’or. There’s a booster pump station here which has been down for the last three years. The residents at the top of the hill, they have not been receiving pipe-borne water for that, around that time, and water has to be given via trucks. So, we have caused WASA, the Minister and WASA, we have asked them to come and have a look at this situation, and WASA has promised to remedy the situation within the shortest possible time. »
One resident, Calvert Spence, described the challenges of going without a steady water supply and expressed optimism that the issue will soon be resolved.
« I have to thank WASA for the tanks and them they send up for us so the people who could not really get the water. Even though it wouldn’t be every day, but as little as it is, it counts because it has children going to school, people going to work at a far distance, and it has been overbearing for a long time now. I’m thankful for seeing our Minister here that he take concern in our problem up here after all this time. I know in my heart that things will change and we will get water for the whole community. »
WASA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Jeevan Joseph, confirmed a timeline for the work to be completed.
« WASA is committed to ensuring that the pump is returned to its rightful place, and we’ll have it working within six weeks. It’s been down over three years. What happened is that they actually took out the pump to put it in another location and left here unattended and didn’t really care about the people. So we are committed to replacing that pump and getting the people on the heights of Mt D’or with their water supply. »
Acting Minister of Public Utilities, Khadijah Ameen, also assured residents that the decommissioned pump station will be refurbished and fully reinstalled.
« We are in Mt D’or where this booster station was decommissioned under the former administration and they took the pump and took it to another area and it was just part of a PR stunt. So the people of Mt D’or were left with very little or no water coming to their taps and they would have given them communal tanks and sent truck-borne water after they decommissioned this booster station. So Minister Barry Padarath has committed to having this pump refurbished and to ensure that, as Minister Devesh requested, his constituents will get their water supply. »
According to WASA, the procurement of a new pump is already underway.
