THE EDITOR: It is with great happiness that I read in the newspaper of the multi-million dollar water scam happening in my hometown, Scott’s Road, and Morne Diablo being uncovered and dealt with by Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales.

Gonzales was made aware of the situation that has been going on for decades during his visit to the area recently.

Growing up in Scott’s Road taught me the value and importance of water, as for all my years, water had been very scarce. From carrying water in buckets from ponds to pulling a box cart loaded with kegs and barrels for miles, the search for water was a daily task. Water unavailability in Scott’s Road was one of the driving factors for me to move from the area once I was able to do so.

I attended the Morne Diablo Roman Catholic School in a village where everyone was like family. Beautifully located between Penal and Siparia and the Quinam and Morne Diablo beaches, it always bewildered me why there was such a lack of water when we had two major water wells in the village that supplied many areas – but not ours.

As I grew older, I began to understand the control of water supply by the water cartel, as I called it. Water lines and taps were run to our homes in my later years. However, they were always dry. Everyone knew the water valves were being illegally turned off so residents would be forced to purchase water from WASA workers who owned water trucks.

Reports were made to WASA and even the police on multiple occasions but to no avail. Just two weeks ago, my father, who still resides in Scott’s Road, told me the taps have been dry for eight weeks and that he is forced to buy water at a cost of $400.

Residents had stopped making reports due to the fear of being targeted, as well as due to the non-response over the years by the authorities. The news story of the Public Utilities Minister bringing the plight and complaints of the people to the Prime Minister and they both acting swiftly to rectify the issue is the best news residents of the area could have received.

Thank you, Minister Gonzales, thank you, Prime Minister. We hope this situation that is decades old has finally come to an end.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

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