00:00 2023 was the hottest year on record and 2024 is shaping up to possibly surpass it.
00:06 That's according to acting director at the TNT Met Service, Shakir Beg, who states that
00:11 there was way below average rainfall for the first quarter of the year and May is showing
00:16 a worrying trend.
00:17 "The average rainfall for Trinidad and Tobago for me is 124 millimetres and to date we've
00:27 just gathered 0.4 of a millimetre."
00:31 Beg says there is a 60% possibility that the month of May could produce around 60 millimetres
00:36 of rain but that would still be below half of the average.
00:41 Director of operations at the Water and Sewerage Authority, Shira Ali, states that Trinidad
00:45 is running at a water production deficit of 33.57 imperial million gallons per day or
00:51 IMGD and Tobago is at a deficit of 2.85 IMGD bringing the total shortfall daily to 36.42
01:00 IMGD accounting for an overall loss of 43%.
01:05 Wassa says the situation is affecting approximately 600,000 people.
01:11 Several areas served by reservoirs that are low have begun experiencing a further reduced
01:16 pie-borne water supply.
01:18 According to Acting Chief Executive Officer of Wassa Kelvin Romaine, a command centre
01:22 headed by Wassa's Deputy Chairman Alston Fournili has been established.
01:27 "This centre will provide 24/7 support for our water trucking facility.
01:32 It will provide operational feedback to the call centre and monitor schedule compliance
01:42 via pressure logging throughout our network."
01:45 Wassa has procured 350 additional pressure loggers at a cost of $1 million to add to
01:50 its complement of around 200.
01:53 They should be in the country by next Monday.
01:56 These would be able to provide electronic data in terms of the pressure of the water,
01:59 how long it would take to saturate communities, etc.
02:02 Romaine says the water trucking service is being streamlined where a proactive approach
02:07 would be taken to sending water to badly affected communities and institutions that are crucial
02:12 like hospitals, schools and state services.
02:15 "We have increased our tanking fleet by 100%.
02:19 The management of our water truck distribution will be performed by our central command centre."
02:27 Three additional phone lines have been added to the centre.
02:31 De-salcot, which had cut back on production due to high salt content and algae build-up,
02:36 is expected to assist.
02:38 "We have met with De-Salcot and we are working on a ban so to speak where over a 24-hour
02:49 period they would increase their supply by about 5 million gallons a day."
02:55 The Seven Seas plant in Point 14 is expected to provide an additional 300,000 gallons per
03:01 day.
03:02 Wassa says it is also experimenting with injecting water at different points along its distribution
03:07 system.
03:08 Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzalez has taken note of people being critical of
03:12 WASSAM on Mother's Day.
03:14 "If we don't have rainfall, then the authority does not have the water to provide to you,
03:24 the citizens."
03:25 Gonzalez notes that other countries in the region like Jamaica, Bahamas, St. Vincent,
03:31 Grenada and others are in a similar situation.
03:34 He believes the situation would have been worse if critical projects like the Community
03:38 Water Improvement Program and the Wells Development Program had not been done in the past three
03:43 years.
03:44 Stakeholders are calling on people around the country to conserve water this time and
03:48 to fix any leaks they may have in their plumbing system.
03:51 "All our hands must be on deck in order to manage during this difficult time.
03:58 Whilst yes, we admit we are approaching a crisis point, the authority has put sufficient
04:05 measures in place to mitigate the difficulties that our citizens can experience and are experiencing
04:14 and will experience over the next six weeks."
04:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]
