Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales.. is promising a 24/7 water supply.. for upwards of 85 percent of the country.., by next year's general election. But the Minister says he does not support people boasting of having the lowest water rates in the region. The Minister was speaking.. at the commissioning of the Saut D'eau Water Treatment Facility in Maraval. Rynessa Cutting reports.
00:00After suffering for water for years, Parmen and several other areas in Maraval are now enjoying an increased pipe-borne service with the commissioning of the Sodo Water Treatment Facility.
00:12Upper Moraldo Extension improved from almost no supply to a 24-hour supply three times per week.
00:18The Moncoco Includes of Nicholas Celestine Foster Encloses improved from close to no supply in the upper areas to twice per week.
00:28The Cameron System supply areas such as Campbell Hill, Lattin, Seasoning Patch, Lower Hill from once fortnightly to twice weekly.
00:37MP for Diggle Martin, North East and Maraval resident, Carl Minbert called the development a miracle as he noted that water continues to be a sore issue among his constituents.
00:50I've been the MP for this area for 33 years now and water or the lack of water is the number one problem I have had to deal with for those 33 years.
01:02Not employment, not crime, not pothole, water or the lack of water.
01:08I only have a few more areas left. I have Dundonnel Hill down in the St. James area and I'm assuming we're using the same gravity feed solution, brilliant solution for a hilly area.
01:20And once you resolve Dundonnel Hill, well I could. I could go and deal with other issues for the next 25 years that I intend to be the MP here.
01:30The SODO facility cost close to $9 million bringing to roughly $30 million the amount spent on water infrastructure in the Maraval area.
01:40Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzalez took the opportunity to call on the recipients to uphold their side of the bargain.
01:47Sometimes it might be easy to criticize WASA for not having a supply of water but how many of us take into consideration that we may have constructed our homes outside of the water distribution grid.
01:59For example, the people in Moraldo Street who are now getting a supply of water, those homes were constructed outside of the water distribution grid.
02:08And that would require the expenditure of millions of dollars to get water, pumping station, pumping 24-7, increasing your energy bills and what have you to get water.
02:21And then, unfortunately, when the water came, it was very difficult to get some people to even pay $300 or $600 for their connection.
02:33Minister Gonzalez also reiterated that TNT has the cheapest water rates in the region but said this is not something to be proud of.
02:42I don't think we should boast of having the lowest rates of water and electricity in Trinidad and Tobago because it is directly connected with the level of service and the ability of the utility agencies to provide you with an improvement in the supply of water.
02:58Even still, Gonzalez says the ministry continues to deliver with WASA's 24-7 service doubling in the past four years and even more customers expected to benefit in 2025.
03:11Having commissioned over 194 projects successfully, we have moved the level of service from 31% to 61% and by the end of the year we will be over 75%.
03:25And that by the next election, based on the amount of work that we are executing all over Trinidad and Tobago, for the very first time in the history of Trinidad and Tobago, over 85% of the population will now have access to 24-7 level of service.
03:51No mention was made as to when the country could expect increased utility rates.
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