Browne Warns APUA: Prolonged Water Outages ‘Should Be Frowned Upon’
Prime Minister Gaston Browne says prolonged water outages across communities are unacceptable and has warned that senior officials at the Antigua Public Utilities Authority will be held accountable for failures in response and distribution.
Speaking on his Browne and Browne radio programme, Browne said while government investments have significantly increased water production, management shortcomings and slow repairs continue to frustrate residents in affected areas .
He said interruptions in supply may occur because of aging infrastructure and broken pipes, but stressed that any disruption should be temporary. Browne said communities being left without water for days should not be tolerated and called for a higher standard of urgency from management and technical teams.
The prime minister urged members of the public to apply pressure when service breaks down, including contacting media outlets and government officials to highlight ongoing problems. He said public scrutiny remains an important tool in driving improved performance at state agencies.
Browne also said Cabinet is increasing its oversight of APUA operations, with ministers now required to provide more detailed updates on water distribution issues and response times. He said senior managers must, in turn, ensure discipline and accountability among their staff to prevent prolonged service failures.
He added that while government has delivered on expanding water supply, effective distribution and faster repairs are now the critical test of APUA’s performance, and those standards will be enforced .
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Totally unacceptable in this day and age. We are a small country surrounded by an abundance of sea water and at least the government has been WISE and sensible enough to build and install a number of facilities around the coastline where the salt water can be desalinated and used for domestic purposes. And even while APUA boasts about increased water capacity, residents are bawling daily about not having water for days. It’s time that we cut the BS and the excuses. This is 2026 and it is just ridiculous that we still cannot get a regular and consistent supply of water daily.
Mr. PM..the more we hear from you and the Minister of Public Utlilities..the less convinced we are that your incompetent administation will EVER solve Antigua’s water problem. This will have to left to the next UPP Adminstration..there are fundamental institutional and technical factors involved which you don’t understand..and probably never will..
Smelford needs to be replaced
Please remind me!
Wasn’t Gaston Browne behind the removal of one of the APUA Managers and installed one of own cronies to improve nationwide output and distribution?
WHO IS HE GOING TO BLAME NOW, OTHER THAN HIMSELF?
If Gaston Browne ever had the opportunity to become Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda 🇦🇬 we’d be in real trouble … oh wait!!! 🤬
Ok get set ready, it’s election time, BAM!
Same old same old electioneering gimmick, he will parade all statutory corporations manager Infront his political mic to say things to get his ALP elected again.
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