The Tribune

FNM Chairman Darron Cash has questioned how the Water and Sewerage Corporation (W&SC) could be “rationing water” after the government underwent millions of dollars in repairs and the installation of a new desalination plant in 2011.

Mr Cash also criticised the corporation’s target 4 million gallon reduction in water losses - from 6.5 million gallons to 2.5 million, over a five year period - with a multi-million dollar contract with Israli firm, Miya.

“From all indications, the progress that they have made is not adequate enough,” he told The Big T.

He said the corporation should be “setting more aggressive targets” and accept nothing less than “substantive elimination” of losses. “At the moment, it appears to be too much of business as usual - that’s the concern,” he said.

In a statement released yesterday, he said: “The FNM accepts that measurable benefits from the International Development Bank (IDB) funded $81 million New Providence Water Supply and Sanitation Systems Upgrade Project meant to tackle infrastructure, regulation and institutional shortcomings at the corporation are unlikely to be felt before the end of this year. However, the FNM does not accept that prudent oversight and management of the corporation’s business would permit so serious an increase in non-revenue water during the past 14 months so as to require the level of water shortages being experienced by residents of New Providence today.

“It appears that all the benefits achieved, by stopping barging, increasing supplies and stabilising the corporation have been eroded to the point where more water and revenue are being wasted from the increased supplies.”

The corporation said it was currently experiencing “a significant increase” in the amount of water that is lost through leakage.

When the IDB contract was signed in 2011, water leakage was pegged at five million gallons a day. That number has now swollen to 6.5 million gallons.

However, the FNM’s chairman said that his party does not accept that reducing water pressure and cutting water supply are “appropriate steps” to be taken by the W&SC in the absence of any prior advice to the public.

“Moreover, the shortage of water supply is difficult to understand given the inauguration of the new Baillou Hills desalination plant in 2011 and the particularly heavy rains experienced in New Providence during the past two months which would have considerably enhanced the island’s water table,” said Cash.

He said the FNM wants the government to provide an explanation for the serious deterioration in a vital service to residents of New Providence.