Water outages plague residents

Across the territory in recent weeks, many residents and businesses have gone without public water for days at a time as complaints have reached a fever pitch.

The government has been tight-lipped about the problem, but yesterday Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer blamed the “deplorable” state of the territory’s infrastructure.

“It’s no secret that we have challenges with distribution,” Mr. Rymer told the Beacon. “I am aware that there have been quite a lot of breakages at certain areas within the distribution system. Hence, we are working to get that addressed.”

But the needed infrastructure works — some of which are to be funded by the $100 million loan the government accessed last year — are likely to take years and cost tens of millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the problem has been exacerbated by frequent electricity outages that have affected the Paraquita Bay desalination plant operated by Seven Seas Water.

Seven Seas told the Beacon yesterday that the plant has maintained consistent production this month, but it acknowledged that “brief” power interruptions of less than 12 hours have led to temporary shutdowns and other adjustments.

“The relationship between electricity and water production is critical, as stable power supply is essential for maintaining continuous operations at the plant,” the company said in a statement. “Any disruptions in electricity can affect pumping and treatment processes, requiring adjustments to protect system integrity and ensure a stable water supply.”

Seven Seas added that it is not responsible for the plant’s electricity supply, which is funded by the government and provided by the BVI Electricity Corporation.

Suffering

As officials work to regularise the territory’s water supply, people are suffering.

For years, residents have complained about prolonged outages in the rural areas of Tortola and the sister islands. But in recent months, the problem has increasingly affected population centres including Road Town, even forcing a two-day closure of Elmore Stoutt High School on Feb. 24 and 25.

Despite the Water and Sewerage Department’s occasional announcements about planned lock-offs in specific areas, many of the outages have come without warning, leaving residents irate.

On March 9, Elton Lettsome used Facebook to report an outage in Long Look.
“The water has been off since yesterday and it is the weekend when everyone is home cleaning their houses and washing their clothes,” Mr. Lettsome posted on The REAL BVI Community Board forum.

The next day, he followed up.

“I am being informed that the [Water and Sewerage] Department does not have the material — i.e. pipes etc. — to make the necessary repairs,” he wrote. “I am not blaming the hard workers at [the WSD] for this problem, but the government needs to give them the necessary resources in order for them to provide service to the public.”

Similar complaints have been echoed in several other online forums as well.
On Tuesday, they spilled over into the WSD office in Port Purcell, where department staff were preoccupied with a disgruntled resident who was apparently upset with the service he had received.

So loud were his complaints that a male staff member had to stand between him and remaining department workers while he was coaxed out of the office.

Sister islands

The sister islands have also been affected by water outages.

“I think it’s the same throughout the territory,” Mr. Rymer said yesterday. “In general, the distribution infrastructure, we know, is old; is deplorable. It’s something that we need to invest in, and we are working to get that done.”

On Virgin Gorda, residents have experienced “periodic” water service problems for years, according to Sharon Flax-Brutus, the director of operations for Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals.

“At Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals, there is not a constant flow of water, and we are only fed water to our Mahoe Bay property for a few hours a day, and that’s not every day,” Ms. Flax-Brutus told the Beacon Tuesday. “In order to receive this flow, I complain on a regular basis to the on-island supervisor as well as [acting WSD Director] Brian Davis and the minister for the subject.”

Despite her troubles, Ms. Flax-Brutus told the Beacon she feels sorry for workers tasked with managing the incessant problem.

“I do have to say that the supervisor in Virgin Gorda tries his best,” she said. “It’s unfair that he has to be placed in a situation where he has to choose who to supply water to.”

The North Sound area on VG has “no challenges most of the time” with its water supply, according to Ms. Flax-Brutus, but she said broken pipes are a regular occurrence.

Asked if she believes the water issues affecting VG are caused by infrastructure problems, Ms. Flax-Brutus responded in the affirmative.

“This is a definite: a crumbling infrastructure with nothing more at this time than a talk shop for rectifying the problem,” she said.

On JVD

Jost Van Dyke is dealing with a similar situation.

In Great Harbour, Tipsy Shark co-owner Randy Singh told the Beacon on March 12 that he had been without water since the beginning of the month.

“Nobody seems to know what’s going on, and nobody gives you a heads-up in the community chat. You don’t know anything,” Mr. Singh said. “We need water for everything: Our plants are dying. We can’t flush, we can’t wash, you know? It’s the height of tourism season.”

Mr. Singh was particularly upset by the government’s failure to address the problem quickly.

“The lack of urgency is the main thing,” Mr. Singh said. “They don’t understand the necessity of water.”

Down the coast from Tipsy Shark, Ocean View Villas owners Karen and Nigel Howell said they are frequently forced to rely on backup cisterns for their water needs.

“They need to get the old infrastructure dealt with, because the pipes, they’re so old from over the years,” Ms. Howell said. “So each time the guy would put on the water, then there’s another pipe broke here, and another pipe broke there.”

Street water had been mostly restored to JVD as of this weekend, according to business owners, but the island’s track record for available water doesn’t give them much hope for the long term.

Asked how much of the year Ocean View Villas can expect to have water, Ms. Howell put her husband and business partner Nigel Howell on the phone.

“[On a scale] out of ten? I would probably say five,” Mr. Howell said. “Because three quarters of the time, I look here: I have two cisterns, and I have to be dependent on the cistern. But most of the time? No water.”

Mr. Howell added that when water does come back on, pipes begin to leak because of old age.

“Every minute them turn on the pipe, them have a leak,” he said Tuesday, adding, “Jost Van Dyke’s population is getting bigger: more people, more businesses. So them have to upgrade that water plant.”

Anegada

Mr. Rymer told the Beacon that he does not believe Anegada has experienced significant water shortages recently.

Anegada Resident Darrell Ruan Jr. concurred, telling the Beacon on Wednesday that Anegada’s water system was holding steady.

“In my opinion the water supply had been very regular,” Mr. Ruan rsaid. “At times there may be a leak and we may have to shut down for some time, but compared to what others throughout the territory is facing, I’m grateful for what we have, knowing what others are going through.”

WSD not responsive

Attempts to obtain more information from the WSD were not successful.
When this reporter called the department on March 6, he was told that the director was on leave and that there was no second-in-command.

Upon visiting the administration office in Port Purcell on Tuesday of this week, he was advised to contact Ministry of Communications and Works Permanent Secretary Elvia Smith-Maduro.

Ms. Smith-Maduro did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Mr. Rymer called shortly after this reporter emailed her.