The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) must do overhaul work on its old mains to avoid them rupturing and causing inconvenience to commuters.
So said chairman of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation Daryl Smith in response to yesterday’s massive gridlock in west Trinidad caused by a ruptured eight-inch water main in Cocorite.
“We really need to look at doing a proper overhaul on the mains. At this point the candle is costing more than the funeral. We need to do a proper assessment, check the mains and the systems. This ad hoc system of repairs is not working,” Smith said.
A ruptured water main on the eastbound lane in Cocorite, near Powder Magazine Phase 1, caused a massive traffic jam which extended to Chaguaramas, Diego Martin, Petit Valley, Maraval and surrounding areas.
Commuters coming out of the western side of Trinidad were stuck in the traffic jam for hours while a WASA crew hastily conducted repair work.
According to officials from WASA the main broke on Monday night obliquely opposite West Shore Medical Hospital, Cocorite. This caused a large amount of water to fill the road.
However, eyewitnesses and drivers said the problem of the broken main was first detected on Friday when water began gushing through the roadway.
Smith said that was not the first time the area had a traffic problem when a water main ruptured.
On February 2, traffic came to a standstill on the westbound lane of the highway near Peake’s Service Station, Cocorite, when a water main ruptured and left part of the highway almost impassable.
Smith said the traffic was eased when the gas station opened up to allow motorists to pass through to avoid the main.
He said some sort of contingency plan should be created to avoid those types of traffic jams. He is willing to meet with stakeholders to create a traffic plan but said any issues with major roads fell under the purview of central Government.
Minister of Works and Infrastructure Surujrattan Rambachan said the Police Service should have been more responsive to avoid a traffic pile-up.
“It is very unfortunate that those responsible at the Police Service did not do what they were supposed to do. If the main ruptured overnight, the police should have been on the ball to fix the traffic situation,” he said.
He said the police should have been more cognisant of the fact that there would have been a traffic problem.
Director of customer care of WASA, Doodnath Bhola, apologised for the inconvenience. He said the main which ruptured was an old one which was laid more than 20 years ago.
Residents in Diego Martin/Cocorite area were without water. However, WASA supplied a truck-borne supply to the nearby West Shore Medical and the Seventh Day Adventist Hospitals.