$250 Million Lost In Six Years: Public Utilities Minister Exposes PNM Water Crisis At Point Lisas
Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath has accused the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration of six years of neglect that resulted in millions of gallons of treated water being lost daily at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.
Speaking in the Lower House on Friday, Minister Padarath said he has mandated WASA to aggressively expand detection and repair activities nationwide, with specific focus on Point Lisas Industrial Estate, which he described as “the hub of economic activity of Trinidad and Tobago.”
In his statement, he said the situation at Point Lisas went far beyond a technical failure and it was “deeply concerning” that many of the problems identified had been reported to WASA as far back as 2020 and were left unresolved.
“Despite the growing strain on national water supplies and the hardship faced by thousands of residential customers, what this nation is confronting at Point Lisas is not merely a water leak problem. It is a physical evidence of six years of political arrogance, ministerial abandonment and institutional decay under the former PNM government. Mr. Speaker, this was not an emergency that suddenly appeared. This was a crisis manufactured by neglect, sustained by indifference and allowed to fester by a former Minister of Public Utilities who perfected the art of being present in office but absent in leadership. Mr. Speaker, these leaks were raised six years ago via correspondence from Plipdeco under a PNM Board. Reports were submitted, red flags were waved, yet the response from the former administration was silent.”
Minister Padarath noted that the consequences of this neglect were severe.
“For six years, millions of gallons of treated water were allowed to gush into the ground every single day — water that taxpayers paid to treat, pump and distribute, while citizens endured shortages and communities were placed on rotational supply. This was not ignorance. This was willful disregard.”
Describing Point Lisas as “a national economic engine,” Minister Padarath said the estate underpinned foreign exchange earnings, industrial production and employment, yet was treated with “contemptuous neglect” by the former administration.
“Mr. Speaker, when this government assumed office, we found a transmission system hemorrhaging an estimated six million imperial gallons of potable water per day, with losses valued at approximately TT$250 million for the period it was left to languish. Mr. Speaker, let the record reflect this clearly. A loss of that magnitude does not occur without systematic failure at the ministerial and board level. The former Minister cannot plead ignorance. The former WASA Board cannot plead surprise. They were warned and they chose to do nothing.”
However Mr. Padarath said the current administration acted decisively. Technical investigations identified nine priority areas and uncovered 21 active transmission failures across the industrial estate.
“Unlike the former administration, this government did not hide behind bureaucracy or deflect blame onto engineers and frontline workers. We acted. Under this government, what the PNM failed to do in six years was confronted decisively. Initial assessments identified nine priority areas. Proper technical investigations, deliberately avoided under the former administration, uncovered 21 active transmission failures concealed beneath congested utility corridors and in open lots on the industrial estate.”
The Public Utilities Minister noted that the work was carried out despite complex and high-risk conditions and repairs are nearing completion.
“Twenty one have been repaired, representing a 91% completion rate delivered squarely within the original six to eight week time frame. Mr. Speaker, I was just shortly advised by WASA that it is no longer 19 out of 21 but is now 20 out of 21. The results are undeniable. Significant reduction in non-revenue water, stabilised supply to surrounding communities, restored roadway integrity, reduced industrial and safety risk. Only two high-risk access-constrained leaks remained at that time. Now it’s only one. Both are fully identified, actively managed and progressing under strict safety and shutdown protocols.”
The Public Utilities Minister contrasted the performance of the two administrations, noting that the Point Lisas intervention was part of a broader national water policy under Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
“Six years of PNM governance delivered waste, decay and excuses. Weeks of this government’s leadership delivered action and results on the Industrial Estate. This programme exposes PNM’s core failure, they did not govern the occupied office. This government governs. We are undoing years of deliberate neglect. We are correcting the cost of political arrogance and we are restoring accountability for the management of the nation’s water resources.”
