APUA Advises Residents To Fill Buckets With Water As They Try To Ramp Up Water Production

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APUA Headquaters

Across the island, residents have been complaining about the unreliable supply of pipe-borne water; APUA’s advice to residents is to fill water containers and have them ready for hand-washing and other household chores.

Residents complain that they have been without water for five consecutive days and this is causing significant difficulty at this time, since persons are constantly being advised to wash their hands to avoid being infected with the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, officials of The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) have reported that the country’s main surface-water catchment, Pot Works Dam, has dried up. This catchment provided 700,000 to one million gallons of water daily.

Production Engineer Tesfa Francis says the Authority is now getting potable surface water from the Bendals Water Treatment Plant.

The Fishers Dam, which contains about a four-to-six weeks’ supply, is also being used to extract water through reverse osmosis, in addition to the RO plants, Francis says.

He added that during a normal period, APUA would get the majority of its water through desalination, but production has to be increased.

 

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Gee, thanks for that tidbit of information. We never would have thought of filling up empty containers. The problem is, APUA first has to deliver water so that we can fill our empty containers.

    After enduring 5 consecutive days without running water, I got home yesterday to the expected situation of no running water as usual. Incidentally, my toilet tank was full. It simply means that while I was out earning my daily bread (so that I can pay APUA) the water came on some time during the day and was off by the time working people got home. How does that make any sense? Seems like they turned on the water so that their PR machine can go on radio and refute claims that we haven’t receive water for 5 consecutive days. I wish this forum allowed me the opportunity to say what I really think about APUA. Real pieces of s**t!!

    • Dadliman I see all is not well with you. Why not look for solutions to help yourself? Too financially challenged? Surprised you don’t have a cistern since I have been told these are requirement when building. Anyway, can you afford a rubber tank eg a 500 gallon one? Simply set one up with a APUA connection hence when water is on it will fill the tank. You would have a water Float Valve to stop the water after it reaches a certain level (some look similar to what you have in your toilet). They run for about 9 us on amazon. I spend time in some of the other islands (SLU, DOM, SKN)and notice this setup tends to be the norm. Unfortunately even in so called developed countries, there are areas facing challenges due to aging pipe infrastructure and also issues with drought. If you have additional funds you can even include a pump hence no need to fill a bucket. Who knows maybe your property may facilitate the tank being on a height, hence no need for a pump.

      In terms of MBS, do you see it as some kind of silo? The idea is while other areas are financially challenged it should not share? Arn’t those funds essentially people used for the benefit of our people? You do know we are dealing with the fallout from a pandemic?

      • Hey Tenman…

        You are always so long-winded; as if the more words you use the more it makes sense to you. There is no excuse for the water predicament in Antigua. Time for us to call a spade a spade.

        In an economic powerhouse it is the government’s responsibility to provide basic infrastructure to the citizenry. We are all aware of the drought situation in the country. So you highlight the plans of individuals; then what about the government? Do they have a plan to deal with this issue that we know will arise.

        You are right that even in some developed countries there are issues with services like this. Most of this can be attributed to neglect by central governments on certain parts of the population due to race, ethnicity, etc. What is the Antigua government’s excuse.

        Now Tenman…. maybe just a short response; save some of your words for another time!

        • Funny your response to my so called long 230 word comment is a 153 words reply to one thing raised in my comment. PM and government officials have long made clear, we are working on making A&B a economic powerhouse. This is something that will take more than 10 years. You seem focused on finding blame, I see no value in pointing out the known exogenous shocks faced by especially small nations like ours.

          • Tenman,

            Thanks for the measured response. I love a healthy debate; that is what a democracy should be about.

            Just to keep you honest though…
            The PM stated that Antigua IS an economic powerhouse; not say that they are working on making it so.

            I am sorry if it seem that I am laying blame; both political parties have let the country down so I am blaming all politicians.

            Exogenous shocks will happen periodically; would you agree that building a sustainable model of government and not one built on boastfulness and lies would work better in a time like this?

          • @Just.. No you are wrong. He has often repeated its a work in progress. Its an aspiration. Progress is being made and the evidence can be found in our HDI ranking and economic performance for the past 5 years. You can google a recent article (268 today) where he spoke on this. Also in 2017 government officials made clear:

            “Antigua and Barbuda’s project for growth was comprehensive and ambitious, stretching from developing infrastructure to large scale promotion. It is early, but the country generated more than 4% economic growth in 2016 – a level of early success the Prime Minister himself could not have anticipated. There is still work to be done, but the groundwork is laid for this twin-island nation to become the economic powerhouse of the Caribbean.” see Antigua and Barbuda: Laying the groundwork for an economic powerhouse
            8 SEPTEMBER, 2017, Voice Of Leaders

            Look I get you have fallen for opposition talk where they essentially create a straw man for them to destroy. Not sure why any right thinking A&B person would not want this to happen.You mistake confidence (Viv Richards like) in our nations ability as boastfulness.

            Note: If you take out the quotes, I am around 102 words

    • If Antigua had a better designed and cheaper CIP program, it would gain more applicants from around the world and have more money in the budget to take care of the water problem. As long as Antigua keeps charging an extra $75,000 just because a single person wants to get married in the future, the program will fail. Anyways, Antigua’s CIP program can be a good way to get water.

  2. I agree.. This is essential, oppose to buying digicel or whatever else our leaders are securing funds for like housing and this and that .. why not try to invest a few more, at least 3 more desalination plants strategically places around the island to fix this.

    Please government let’s make this a priority. We are in 2020 and going 5 days without water.

    As a nation let’s demand better!

    • Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “A phenom must be studied and analyzed in relationship to psychological time and space. It must always be located. This is the only way to investigate the complex interrelationships of science and art, design and execution, creation and maintenance, generation and tradition, and other areas bypassed by theory.” – Dr. Molefi Kete Asante! Afrocentricity, The Theory of Social Change!

      Sadly it is not an issue of water harvesting with more and more desalination plants at this time!

      It’s the age old problem which has plagued governments and administrations of every hue on the Rock! It requires well engineered and implemented Storage and Distribution Strategies, Structures, Systems, Skills and a Culture!

      That the governments and administrations have successfully played the blame game over the years and convinced the people that the fault lies elsewhere flies in the face of all STEM training!

      The folks at APUA continue to place emphasis on “Potworks” Dam which loses as much, and sometime more, water to evaporation daily as is the draw down when it is in an operable condition! It would be nice to know how many days of the year has this been in operation since its last upgrade in the late 70″s!

      “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.” ― Frantz Fanon!

      Go Well!

  3. Did I read that headline correctly?? Is this 2020? Am I living in a jungle somewhere? A joark APUA a mek. Got to be.

  4. The minister should resign cause clearly he doesn’t bring anything to the table.in 2020 antigua till na hab one dam fu sustain the nation. Shame pan r u. And why not build more reservoir?

  5. Last year when residents used their initiative to store water, APUA accused residents of hoarding water and blamed residents for causing the water problem, because as they put it, APUA was producing enoug water to satisfy demands.

    APUA is it ok to hoard water now?

    Please clarify your new position…..

  6. Our Economic Powerhouse with the “best” infrastructure in the OECS is humming right along.

    I await the remarks from the ABLP apologists who thinks this government is beyond reproach.

  7. Given my earlier diatribe about APUA’s shoddy service and communication (more aptly, lack thereof) I feel compelled to come back and say that I got home from work and met running water. Now I can go about the business of filling up all of my containers.

    APUA, thanks for the water, but in 2020, no one should feel like they received a favour when they have running water. To have people lined up at stand pipes to fill trunk loads of empty bottles in 2020 is unacceptable. In a real country heads would have rolled a long time ago

  8. Antiguans : We need running water in our pipes everyday.

    Tenman and the ALP Criers : Look over here guys we have 10% growth!!!!!!

  9. Fill up your buckets and bath pans.We are going back into the 1950’s and 1960’s in Antigua.The Economic Powerhouse of the Caribbean cannot provide potable water for its people.To take a shower you would need to throw up water from your bath pan on your stone heap in your yard.Is it really 2020.Turn the APUA over to a Private Entity.Because in my opinion the Government cannot run anything efficiently.

  10. If APUA will put out a schedule which area will have water and when, you can plan to put water into your cistern. But NO. I have been calling them for the longest while now. I have a cistern to last me about three months and its now half and that is when I’m getting nervous and start to top up with government water. But to date no water when I am at home. And when I ask if there is a schedule the pleasant young lady says they haven’t have one yet. The one on their website is from 2016. Poor customer relation from APUA as usual. Robin please. Mr. Martin doesn’t seem to listen to the cries of the people. Another GM that looks only in the books. Not at customer’s satisfaction.

  11. during a time like this when we need water the most eh. place hot nf and pple have to throw up water oppose to taking a nice shower. who feels it knows it. it is 2020 get with some type of program guys

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