The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Businesses in central Eleuthera yesterday complained that their operations were affected “tremendously" by the water supply cut-off over the past week.

Keithra Sands, owner/operator of C&K Car Rental, told Tribune Business: “The water disconnections have been affecting us tremendously because we cannot clean our cars, and we cannot do anything we needed to do. I think we were off for about six days.

"I’m not to work right now because, as I said, without the water we were unable to wash cars or anything like that, or any necessities like bathe or wash dishes, and the only water we could have gotten was the water that we paid for from the water truck. Thank God it is back on now, it has affected us tremendously.”

Water supply was interrupted in Central Eleuthera last week due to a payment dispute between the Water and Sewerage Corporation and its reverse osmosis plant operator, which resulted in the latter cutting off supplies.

Michaela Wells, owner/operator of Sentry Shield Security & Locksmith, said: “Our water is on, so I can’t say that I honestly experienced a disconnection, but what I can say is that the quality of the water is horrible. It’s brackish and it has an odour. The quality of it is bad.”

Ms Wells, whose business is in Lower Bouge, added: “Our water is on currently, so I wasn’t even aware disconnections were happening, but the only thing I can say is the quality of the water, it’s bad. In Current at home where we live, the water was turned off by 7pm in the night-time and then turned back on later. That has been happening.

"But in Lower Bogue, where the business is concerned, it was consistent; it was on. In our home, we don’t know if the water is going to be on or water is going to be off. Monday night it went off at about 7pm, and when we woke up yesterday morning it was back on.”

Jermaine Cancino, general manager of Lutra Pure, said: “The water disconnections haven’t impacted our business and we have been getting water. It’s just a brief delay of actually a day. It’s sporadic as one day it was off and one day it was on, and so on and so forth, but it hasn’t affected our business.”

“The locals and stuff like that have been complaining about the water being on and off, and it’s kind of inconveniencing because obviously during this time of COVID you would need water to wash your hands and that shouldn’t be.

"But mostly this has affected Governor’s Harbour from my understanding, and that’s about two settlements down from us in Hatchet Bay. During this time it is paramount that they should keep the water services on, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”