As the Water and Sewerage Corporation awaits replacement parts from Holland to repair its main barge, only a slow trickle of water oozed from the faucets of businesses and private residences over the weekend.
Many beauty salons, where customers prepped for weekend outings, were affected by the low pressure situation affecting entities connected to the government’s water supply.
Faced with a serious shortage problem since last week, Corporation spokesmen warned Sunday that the situation is now being treated as a “national emergency”.
In a statement released to The Guardian, the Corporation said it had been issuing advisories since the passing of the two recent hurricanes, but an even more critical situation has developed over the past 10 days.
Despite the warnings, the release went on, some consumers are conducting “business as usual,” using city water to water lawns, clean cars and for other non-essential purposes. Such practices must cease, officials announced.
The reality of the situation, the Corporation said, was that normal storage reserves had been reduced since Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, and while some recovery was realized, the maximum level was only around 70 per cent. Within the last two weeks, sea surges began to affect the daily movement of vessels that transport water from Andros and its reverse osmosis plant experienced some problems which required certain production trains to be out of service for a few days to carry out emergency repairs, the Corporation reported.
Although the reverse osmosis plant is back on- stream at 90 per cent capacity and the weather has subsided to the point where the movements of its ships are not hampered, a larger vessel, the Titus, which has a carrying capacity of 2.5 million gallons per day, has developed mechanical problems and its import operation stands at a 35 per cent capacity. The total production capacity of the Corporation presently stands at 70 per cent with no additional alternatives.
“Our normal input into the distribution system can therefore only be seven million gallons per day, as compared to the normal nine million gallons, since there are no further storage reserves to revert to,” the statement outlined.
Parts shipment
According to the Corporation, arrangements have been made for replacement parts to be airlifted from Holland to repair the Titus and they were expected to arrive this weekend. However, Deputy General Manager at the Water & Sewerage Corporation, Godfrey Sherman, told The Guardian via telephone Sunday that he would not know until today if these parts arrived.
“We will know by tomorrow [Monday] if some of the parts and stuff came in, but I can certainly update you as soon as I can. We have one boat moving and the major one is still down, so we have no storage,” he reiterated.
When the parts arrive, it is estimated that it will take within 4 to 5 days to effect repairs, the Corporation stated.
Referring to the situation as “unfortunate,” the Corporation said every effort has been made to manage the problem as best as it can, and hopefully, less reliance would be placed on the importation of water to mitigate such a problem occurring in the future.
“The Corporation apologizes for these inconveniences caused and asks consumers to be patient and cooperative. It must be restated that every effort should be made to conserve water and all concerns, especially the reporting of leaks should be called in to the emergency control room at 325-0505,” the release stated.
‘A dirty shame’
Meanwhile, some irate consumers told The Guardian of how they were forced to forgo their normal house chores over the weekend, such as washing clothes and dishes, because water only dripped from faucets. Others complained that they had not taken full baths, especially if they arrived home when the pressure was down.
“This situation has really gotten out of hand and nothing is being done about it,” said Leon Bastian, a Water & Sewerage Corporation customer for the past three years. “This sort of situation seems to happen on a yearly basis, and it is really bothersome,” he said.
Another resident of the Cowpen Road area who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he regretted not installing an electric water pump at his apartment, as his tenants were continuously forced to experience bouts of water shortages, because of problems experienced by the Corporation.
“There is nothing that I can do about the situation, but my tenants can’t bathe and are forced to suffer. I just hope there is some solution to this on-going problem,” he said.
The Guardian was told last week that the Corporation tries to operate fully at 5am until 9am and then cuts back its supply during the day. The pressure is again increased at 5pm until 10pm to build up enough water for the next day’s use.
Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
