WASA to announce ‘Evolution Plan’ by end of August

Senior Reporter

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Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath hopes to present the Water and Sewerage Authority’s (WASA) “Evolution Plan,” the new board’s blueprint for improving the company’s operations, by the end of this month.

“These would be the big projects that would attempt to alleviate some of the challenges that we have in terms of water production and water distribution. They are looking at areas in which they can increase production levels,” Padarath said yesterday.

He added, “It has to go to the Cabinet. Once it receives the final Cabinet approval, I am hoping by the end of August, we should be able to share that with the national community.”

On assuming office, the new UNC government made significant changes at WASA, including scrapping the transformation plan implemented by the previous government, restructuring management and appointing a new board with Roshan Babwah as chairman and Jeevan Joseph as Chief Executive Officer.

Padarath said they have been meeting with the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) to ensure funding is available to pay for the new plan.

“I am satisfied at this stage, after having met with the IDB on a few occasions, that we have been able to negotiate with the IDB, the projects that we would like to come upstream in terms of what we are referring to as the evolution plan of WASA. And coming out of those meetings up to about a week or two ago, IDB has given us the commitment for the funding based on what we have shared with them since rescinding the transformation plan,” he explained.

He praised the new management team for “hitting the ground running.”

“They have been visiting the different regions, particularly those that are hard-pressed for supply. And in some areas, we have already started to see some of the changes in terms of increased production and distribution levels,” he told Guardian Media.

Padarath also credited the new board for being more “hands-on.”

“And I think that is the difference between what we inherited and what we changed out over the last couple of months. You have a more hands-on water and distribution authority getting an appreciation of what the restrictions are in terms of production and distribution levels across the country and utilising the same infrastructure and the same production levels of how you can have a better distribution,” Padarath said.

He said currently only 27 per cent of the population is receiving a 24/7 supply of water and the aim is to surpass that by the end of this financial year.