A Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting in Parliament on March 12 brought together key officials to discuss the efficiency and effectiveness of the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) alongside the broader management of public utilities in the country.
Independent senator Sunity Maharaj chaired the meeting.
It featured RIC chair Dawn Callender, permanent secretary of the Public Utilities Ministry Nicolette Duke, and other representatives.
It also included committee members Khadijah Ameen and Jayanti Lutchmedial.
Committee members raised pressing questions concerning the ongoing challenges faced by utility companies and the public, particularly about water supply issues across Trinidad and Tobago.
In her opening remarks, Duke spoke of the ministry's role in leading and governing the public utility sector, focusing on ensuring the delivery of reliable and high-quality services.
"We strive to facilitate the public utility services in terms of ensuring the delivery of reliable and quality public utility services."
Callender, in her opening remarks, highlighted the commission's crucial responsibility to hold utility companies accountable, emphasising the commission's philosophy of continuous improvement.
The JSC was a follow-up inquiry into the operations of RIC and the effectiveness of its regulatory role in overseeing public utilities like water and electricity providers.
Duke shared updates on various projects led by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), including 91 completed projects.
These include pipeline installations, the construction of 15 new booster stations, upgrades to existing booster stations and the rehabilitation of water treatment plants.
However, when questioned by the committee about whether these upgrades had led to a reliable flow of water to residents' homes, Duke acknowledged the challenge of providing definitive answers, given her lack of firsthand knowledge on the ground.
"The intent is that water is flowing to people's pipes, but as I am not on-site, I cannot confirm that it is happening consistently," she explained.
Ameen raised concerns regarding water supply issues in the Moruga/Tableland constituency, where residents have reported irregular water service despite having pipelines installed.
"While you have schedules on paper, you do not have the actual supply to the customers," Ameen said.
"My concern is that people are getting so accustomed to this in Trinidad and Tobago now that they do not complain as much because it comes like just another day in Trinidad, with no water."
Besides Duke, other ministry representatives were Arlene Colis, director of economic research, policy and planning; Curtis Augustine, monitoring and evaluating co-ordiantor; and Mauricia Pegus, customer service manager.
Ameen also enquired about WASA's data collection efforts to understand customer needs better.
Pegus replied that an extensive data collection exercise is underway, with field visits being done to identify customer locations and better plan for supply and demand
