WASA announces new desalination plant for Moruga

The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has announced plans to build a new desalination plant to serve the Moruga/Tableland constituency.

In a release, WASA said Acting CEO Jeevan Joseph made the announcement during a plant and community tour on Saturday, accompanied by Minister of Culture and Community Development and Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin, as well as WASA officials.

The plant, which will have a capacity of six million gallons per day, forms part of a national initiative to strengthen water supply for farming and fishing communities.

WASA expects the project to be completed within 24 to 30 months.

WASA said this is one of three desalination plants planned for Moruga, Mayaro and Charlotteville, Tobago. An Expression of Interest for contractors to pre-qualify will be published this week.

The release also outlined several immediate measures to ease shortages, including:

●   Expanding storage at Marac Baptist Primary School by 5,000 gallons.

●   Setting up four centralised storage terminals of 30,000 gallons each.

During the tour, the team visited several communities to assess problems and announce relief measures:

●   John Joe Hill, Marac: A 30,000-gallon storage terminal will be built to assist residents without service.

●   La Lune Booster Station: Identified as a potential site for the new plant.

●   La Savanne and Corosal Road: Residents assured of new storage terminals and future pipelines linked to the plant.

●   Boucaud Trace: Promised a 30,000-gallon storage terminal; the GP Road Pipeline Project will increase supply once completed.

●   First Branch Road: Residents promised storage and long-term relief when the plant comes on stream.

●   HDC Gomez Trace Housing Development: Officials assessed a faulty wastewater treatment plant and pledged to work with HDC on a fix.

Minister Benjamin thanked WASA for its efforts.

“I thank the Acting CEO and officials for their dedication to understanding the critical issues our communities face. Their commitment to implementing both immediate and long-term solutions is a welcome development for the people of Moruga/Tableland,” she said.

The Moruga stop marked the 11th leg of WASA’s nationwide plant assessment and community engagement tour, which began in June.