Water management respects environmental policies

Trinidad and Tobago boasts one of the most effective water and sewerage systems anywhere in the Caribbean. But even though WASA, the country’s Water and Sewerage Authority, produces 200 million gallons of water per year – twice as much as is consumed in the larger island of Jamaica – demand continues to grow, especially from industrial customers. A single steel factory or fertilizer producer might consume four million gallons alone.
Currently the biggest industrial demand for water comes from methanol production, which is enjoying a boom thanks to ever increasing quantities of natural gas piped from off-shore fields.

ERROL GRIMES CEO CEO of the Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago

“Our country is one of the largest exporters of methanol,” says Errol Grimes, CEO of WASA. “Water is a raw material in this production. They split the water molecule and use hydrocarbons from the oil industry to make methanol. That is good business for us as the supplier of the raw material.”

It is a business that has put WASA to the test. “The industrial consumers present a particular challenge because they want large quantities of water in specific areas. But our organization is well placed to deliver that. We have commissioned what will be the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere, which will be located at Point Lisas, Trinidad’s industrial heart,” says Mr. Grimes.

DEMAND for water continues to grow and industrial customers represent the biggest challenge for the authorities

The company is also digging for water, he reports. “We carried out a very exciting project using satellites to find water bedrock for the first time in the Caribbean. It was successful in Tobago. Now we have started in Trinidad.”
Together, these new projects could bring a further ten million gallons of water onstream.
The authority has also started to tackle the problem of leakage from the older parts of its pipeline network, most of which was installed in the 1970s. Half of the islands’ water is unaccounted for thanks to leakage from the system, illegitimate hydrant use, waste at standpipes, and unregistered use.

“To get our customers involved we launched a special toll-free number, 800-leak. In the first month we moved from just over 2,000 calls a month to 800 calls,” says Mr. Grimes. A lot of communities and customers had their service improved.
In 2003 Mr. Grimes plans to spend more than $16 million on pipeline upgrades. Other projects include installing a waste-water system in the tourism heartland of south-west Tobago, which will help preserve the environment and ensure that the waste from hotels and other facilities is adequately treated. This will cost about $50 million.

THE WATER authority has been hunting for new bedrock supplies using satellites

Another similar project already under way is the construction of a waste-water treatment facility for all the waste from the capital, Port of Spain. Financing could come from U.S. companies, according to Mr. Grimes.
WASA must also provide good service and value to its domestic customers. This is now especially important, because increasing the supply of fresh water and improving sanitation is one of the major targets in the Vision 2020 program.

Currently 92% of the population has access to fresh water through internal plumbing, yard taps or standpipes, but reliability is uneven. One third of the population is served by the sewerage system, mostly in urban areas. The rural population depends on septic tanks.
Minister of Public Utilities Rennie Dumas is working to improve these figures. “You cannot say you live in a developed country if you don’t have water 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he says.

If the system is working well people will not notice it. “But if you don’t have water and you are stumbling in waste then you ask yourself what is going on. As a small island we cannot allow our waste-water system to be underdeveloped or it will start adversely affecting our fresh water system,” he adds.
Mr. Dumas is not just focused on the day-to-day needs of the country. He also points out the main areas for investment in the future. “The strongest opportunities are in waste, water distribution and management, and in new power generation,” he says. “It’s in these areas where we will need capital investment, know-how, and finance. Our ideal partner will be someone who comes in for the long term and who can bring the appropriate technology with them,” he adds.