Prime Minister Philip J Pierre has confirmed that Cabinet has established a dedicated committee to examine alternative arrangements for the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), as the utility continues to face severe financial and operational challenges.
Speaking during yesterday’s press briefing, the Prime Minister acknowledged that WASCO is in a critical state, describing the situation as unsustainable and requiring urgent but carefully planned intervention.
He revealed that the Cabinet committee, which includes technocrats, has been tasked with identifying a permanent solution to the long-standing issues affecting the company.
The Prime Minister pointed to earlier attempts to reform the utility under a previous Saint Lucia Labour Party administration, recalling that during that period, the government recognised that WASCO could not continue operating as it had been.
He stressed that the challenges facing WASCO have now reached a point where decisive action is unavoidable.
“Right now WASCO is in a situation where we have to find a solution for it,” Pierre said, confirming that several proposals are currently under consideration. He added that the newly formed Cabinet committee is working specifically “to deal with a permanent solution to the issues of WASCO.”
The Prime Minister did not downplay the severity of the company’s financial situation, stating that WASCO is in “dire debt” and “dire circumstances.” He further disclosed the extent of government support being provided to keep the utility afloat, revealing that government has “subsidised WASCO for the last year of $1.1 million every month through the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP),” he said.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Pierre has also addressed the wider water challenges facing the country, calling on Saint Lucians to adopt practical measures to ease pressure on the national water supply. He has urged citizens to embrace water harvesting as an immediate and realistic response, while acknowledging that restoring WASCO’s infrastructure and operations will require both time and substantial financial investment.
At a recent pre-Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister revealed that the cost of fully rehabilitating WASCO is estimated at $200 million. He described this figure as unavoidable given the scale and depth of the problems affecting the utility.
He cautioned that the situation cannot be resolved overnight and emphasised that long-term institutional reform must be supported by individual and community action to manage water resources more effectively.
KEEP WORKING WASCO, YOU PEOPLE ON TE OUTSIDE hELPING.
CONCERNING ThE DAM:
ThERE ShOULD BE COUPLE WINDOWS/OUTLET AT ThE FROM OF ThE DAM TO LET ThE SILT OUT.
LIKE I SAID BEFORE I CAN JUST USE A BIG PUMP AND SUCK OUT ThE SILT. LUCELEC hAVE SOME hUGE ONES IN ThE OLD PLANT IN UNION.
Mr PM. You are someone I know personally and admire greatly. However, I beg to differ with you on this particular subject. Yes, WASCO needs attention. Lots of attention and it will ultimately require substantial financial investment. However, about two years ago, WASCO was operational. Not without moderate complains but it WAS operational. Another might say it was “business as usual” then. Now it is a complete disaster and I’m happy that you as well as most of the country are aware that. So shouldn’t we first try to establish what was the cause of such a drastic degradation to our water supply capability in such a short period of time? I don’t recall any major natural disaster of any kind. No abnormal earthquakes, hurricanes or anything of note in the past two years or so. There was I recall a major flood which devastated many parts of the island’s north but that was about 3 years ago and as far as I can recall, our water supply was restored to normal within a day or two. So what then caused WASCO to become so dysfunctional in such a short period of time? Well, let’s all look at this together. About two years ago, there was an announcement made concerning the appointment of a new CEO at WASCO. It so happened that very very soon after (a matter of days I believe) we started having some major interruptions in our water supply service especially in the island’s north. My first thoughts were that the new WASCO CEO had decided to take a different approach to managing the water supply with the intention of effecting a more lasting remedy to what had been the norm, even if it meant permitting the general public to endure an unprecedented period of severe drought in their faucet’s. Perhaps it would be all worth the sacrifice I thought. But that certainly was not the case. It was actually the beginning of the end of WASCO. So with all this in mind, shouldn’t we be asking first of all, Is the new CEO of WASCO the main contributor of it’s disastrous degradation seeing it all started just about the time She took over the reigns? Wouldn’t it be much less of a burden on tax payers to simply replace the new CEO with someone who has a proven record of managing an enterprise of such importance? I know for a fact that tens of thousands of locals are suffering on varying levels because of what has happened to their water service but if you allow me to be just a little bit personal, I will tell you this. In Morne Serpant where I currently live, prior to the appointment of the current WASCO CEO, I used to get a full supply of water 24/7 every day except on rare occasions when there was a busted pipe. Now I receive an average of one day of half pressure water every eleven days. Nuf said.
It’s about time the government stepped in and did something to help the people with the water situation!
Let’s pray it’s not all talk. This water situation has gotten from bad to worse. I can’t understand how there is never water, always excuse after excuse but water trucks on the roads all the time selling/delivering water to a chosen few. Where are they taking that water from? Please let it make sense!
In Cap estate past Sandals Cap, we the people have received wasco flow since Christmas 4 times read that again four times Mr PM in Cap so why do other communities have water daily? Absolute catastrophe without any natural disasters… I have been saying this all along, Mr Regis should never have been removed Timothy James RAN our water system into the effin’ ground and now here we are ….last several years an abhoration of our precious and only water supply, absolute devastation and only now u focusing on it smog On top of it the water truck delivery men are rude and unprofessional and lie about delivering water!!!.
While contemplating a costly long-term solution, how about a short-term remedy? Like for starters, replacing the new CEO under whose watch WASCO’s services has nosedived into an almost complete disaster. I must admit in times past I have questioned the honesty of WASCO’s management team, but compared to what we have now, their past managers all deserve awards.