AFTER the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) announced its decision to disconnect scores of non-paying clients, Senator Wade Mark expressed his concern and called on the government to provide answers.
On Thursday, WASA issued a release saying its debt recovery actions began on Wednesday with the disconnection of several customers in Barataria, San Juan and Chaguanas after attempts to encourage errant customers to pay proved futile.
During the Senate sitting on Friday morning, Mark posed the following question to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh: “Given the mandate by the Ministry of Health to frequently wash and sanitise hands, can the minister indicate how has WASA’s recent disconnection drive been impacting said mandate?”
It was answered by Leader of Government Business Senator Clarence Rambharat who said the mandate remains the same – which is to wear masks, wash hands and practise physical distancing.
Mark then asked, “In light of WASA’s decision, can the honourable minister indicate how will this policy impact on this particular ‘W’ of washing your hands in the context of this covid19 pandemic?”
Rambharat replied, “Not even the wizardry of Walt Disney could get me from this question to that supplemental question.
“The question asks about the mandate of the Ministry of Health and I have responded to the mandate by making it clear it’s not just washing and sanitising hands.”
He said if Mark wants to discuss WASA’s policies, he should “direct that question to the appropriate minister.”
Mark pressed again asking if Deyalsingh would be holding meetings with officials from the Public Utilities Ministry to resolve this issue, but Rambharat said, “The matter that is before us deals with the mandate of the Ministry of the Health and I confirm, yet again, that the mandate is that.”
Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally said he was disappointed in Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales found the opposition’s comments on the matter to be “noise.”
In a press release, he said Gonzales’s response was “symptomatic of the narrow perspective from which he is choosing to operate.
“Having indicated that I appreciate the need and value for a state entity like WASA to run its affairs efficiently, I invited the minister to show sympathy to people who are living and struggling in a time of crisis and have not been able to pay their bills.”
He said while it is encouraging that WASA is trying to work with its customers, it is “quite appalling and draconian that they have indicated that they are prepared to disconnect and sell people’s property for failure to pay.
“Obviously, people may want to resist having a conversation with WASA altogether if such options are on the table. I, for one, want to encourage people to pay up or have the conversation with WASA as it is the responsible thing to do.”
But he said he disagrees with people’s properties being targeted, especially as WASA has “not addressed its own shortfalls and lack of a proper water supply and irregular or no supplies to certain communities.
