Government Moves To Reduce Non-Revenue Water At Point Lisas Industrial Estate
Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath says the State lost an estimated $250 million in potable water under the former PNM administration, largely due to untreated leaks at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.
Speaking in the House of Representatives, the Minister outlined what he described as decisive action by the current government to address long-standing failures at WASA.
He said non-revenue water remains a major concern for the Water and Sewerage Authority and he has directed WASA to expand leak detection and repair efforts nationwide, with a specific focus on Point Lisas, a key driver of the national economy.
The Minister said the issues at Point Lisas were known for years, but were ignored by the former administration, even as communities experienced shortages and rotational supply.
« 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. 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. »
Minister Padarath said when the current government assumed office, it uncovered severe failures in the transmission system. He said coordinated work between WASA and other state agencies has resulted in significant progress within weeks.
« 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 two hundred and fifty million for the period it was left to languish. »
Minister Padarath says the remaining leak is actively managed and is expected to be repaired once safety conditions allow, as part of a wider national strategy to modernise the country’s water infrastructure.
