– Advertisement –
On Tuesday evening the Water and Sewerage Company Inc (WASCO) began closing its vulnerable systems as Saint Lucia braces for inclement weather.
This after the Meteorological Service announced the previous day that the Island would be under a severe weather alert from midnight Tuesday to 4:00 pm the following day.
“We have a lot of systems that are very vulnerable. We have intakes that we need to protect and we also have pumping stations that we need to protect. So we always try to be prepared so at the end of it all we can serve our customers,” WASCO’s Officer in Charge, Zilta George Leslie, explained.
As a result, George Leslie said WASCO was ‘erring on the side of caution.’
– Advertisement –
In this regard, she referred to water intakes in the South, which usually become clogged.
Therefore, she said WASCO decided to close them early in the evening.
“So our dedicated staff is going to go out there pretty early some of them as early as six to seven in the evening and we are going to start closing off those intakes,” the WASCO official stated.
The affected areas would include Fond St Jacques, Desruisseaux, and Canaries.
“We close off the intake although the production will continue but what we do is close off the intakes so that in the event that it gets really bad at the end we are able to ensure that we bring the water back to the customers at a faster pace,” the WASCO Officer in Charge explained.
However, she disclosed that the situation in the North, which has two major systems – the John Compton Dam and the Hill 20 system was different because they are less vulnerable and would not require much management.
“Of course we are asking customers to start their storage, to ensure your tanks are filled now, ensure that you can conserve whatever it is that you have. If you don’t have tanks – some of you have drums, some of you may have buckets. Whatever it is you have we are asking you to fill them up and we are asking everybody to ensure that your water is protected so please ensure your water is covered,” the WASCO Officer in Charge said.
Regarding WASCO’s response capacity after the weather event, George Leslie revealed that the utility has its chemicals and a supply of pipes and fittings.
“All our generators have been checked, our fuel tank is topped up so we are ready to serve,” she said.
In addition, she announced emergency numbers that customers could call, realising that at times the phone lines may be down or experience heavy traffic because many people are trying to get through at the same time.
Customers may also send WhatsApp messages.
For the South, the telephone number is: 4820051 and for the North: 4820152 or 4820052
– Advertisement –
Credit: Source link
