12/03/2024

Sod turned on Patience Water Supply Redevelopment Project

By GIS

The Patience Water Supply Redevelopment Project aims to improve access to clean and reliable water to the communities of St. Marie, Patience, Lombard, La Haut, Mon Repos, Wenn Development, Mamiku, Praslin, La Pointe and Malgretoute, delivering the essentials of both quality of life and diverse economic possibilities to the targeted areas.

A sod-turning ceremony was recently held where Parliamentary Representative for Micoud (north) and newly-appointed Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Crime Prevention and Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Jeremiah Norbert, shed light on the continued struggles that have been faced by residents.

“The same water supply that existed when I was young is still in existence today and the challenges remain the same. The importance of this project cannot be overstated. Sometimes we go weeks without water and we all know the absence of a constant water supply can affect every aspect of society, from households, to functioning of schools, to healthcare for elderly citizens. Within the community, not everyone can afford to have water storage tanks, so we really rely on the constant supply of water from WASCO.”

Chief Executive Officer of WASCO, Mrs. Zilta George-Leslie, gave some insight into the challenges faced by the company, regarding distribution of water to the relevant communities.

“While WASCO has made significant strides in maintaining the Patience water system, there has not been a substantial improvement in the volume of water that has been extracted for distribution to this area. The demand for potable water has far exceeded supply for this growing community. As a result, they are specifically affected during the dry season as the scarcity of water affects our ability to meet the demands of the community. Contrarily, the absence of a proper treatment facility causes distributing water during the rainy season to be particularly challenging due to high turbidity.”

Mrs. Leslie further highlighted the stages of development planned for the initiative.

“A multi-pronged approach will be implemented to install 22 kilometres of pipeline over a period of one year. These include the construction of a rubble-wall intake, pumping station, raw water pumping main, water treatment plant and a water storage tank. Upon completion of this project, some 1729 consumers residing in the communities of Mon Repos and environs will receive added storage of treated potable water, and a more consistent supply within the existing distribution system.”

The Water Supply Redevelopment Project is funded by the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF).

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