WASA signs contracts for major expansion
We’ve come a long way from the days when people would wait for hours at public standpipes and water pressure in Belize City’s municipal system was measured by ounces per square inch rather than pounds. But the rapid expansion of the city and its satellite communities has outstripped the Water and Sewage Authority’s ability to provide enough for everyone. Today WASA unveiled its plans to both expand and become more efficient.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
“Water Pressure will no longer be a problem.” That was the sentiment echoed at the signing of three major contracts for the expansion of the Belize City Water System. The project to be done in phases will include the expansion of the Double Run Water Treatment Plant by FYPASA, a Mexican company, the installation of primary mains along the Western Highway by CISCO Construction and the completion of the transmission main from eight miles on the Northern Highway to Belize City by Johnston International. The project should address a number of problems consumers have been experiencing with water supply.
Harry Bennett, Public Relations Officer, WASA
“Primarily low water pressure, brought about by insufficient water supply. That is manifested at night, when you’re trying to get to take a shower or you’re trying to use water, you either get low water pressure or none at all. That came about because of the lack of available water, so we had to do rationing. At night we turned off the system to allow our tanks to fill, so that when we have our peak demand in the morning, water is available.”
The expansion project, which is scheduled to be completed by the middle of next year will the increase water supply to Belize City residents and other communities along the Northern Highway from 3.5 million gallons a day to 6.2 million gallons a day. Consumers should not only expect an increase in water pressure, but due to a water loss reduction programme, water rates will not be increased.
Ray Lightburn, Chairman, WASA Board of Commissioners
“What happen is when the loans were negotiated with CDB in ’98, because of the revenues it was decided that WASA had to increase its bills by fifteen percent. Well the administration, which I represent, the PUP Government, was committed to the people in their manifesto that they would not increase, but decrease the bills in utilities. So we were caught in a kind of catch twenty-two and to get the programme going, we decided well, we are losing fifty-six percent of the water produced, something is wrong. So we started a water reduction programme with the help of the CDB and we’ve been able to move it from fifty-six to forty-three and it’s still going. So we are at thirteen percent, we are like two percent out and today we probably caught up that and that is what we are offsetting, the increase. So there is no increase and the Prime Minister, Mr. Musa is committed to that and I can assure you that that will not happen, not during my tenure.”
As WASA works to improve its service, the company as well will embark on an educational campaign to see that the water is provided is clean.
Harry Bennett
“Basically to try to help educate people about practices such as some that have been reported in the papers recently, where we heard about pig feces being dumped into the river, and about citrus waste, you hear about all these things. So we want to put a public education programme so that people understand that what you do upstream affects downstream. That is definitely one component of the public education.”
Meanwhile, Lightburn says they are forging ahead with the privatization of the Water and Sewerage Authority.
Ray Lightburn
“The Ministry of Private Investments is going ahead with the privatization, the various people have expressed interests and it’s going to be over a period of time from what we are looking at. But the person who can tell you exactly who will be involved and what time, will be Mr. Louis Lou, who is working with Minister of Investments and we’re working with diligence at this time, to see what our functional assets value against the dysfunctional assets. So in the end it’s going to work out. It’s not going to affect us in anyway, it should help.”
The Expansion project is being funded by the Government of Belize, WASA and the Caribbean Development Bank for thirty-five million Belize dollars.
