99 Per Cent of NWC’s Production Capacity Restored

Approximately 99 per cent of the National Water Commission’s (NWC) total production capacity has been restored after the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan, Charles Buchanan, Corporate Public Relations Manager of the Commission, has said.
“Virtually all our systems are either completely restored or have some amount of restoration that has taken place on them,” Mr. Buchanan told JIS News in an interview.
Meanwhile, he said that the company was “working assiduously” to return piped water to all sections of the island. “We are continuing to do work in all those areas where the systems are not yet back in operation, as well as in all those areas where, although the system on a whole is in operation, there may be sections of communities which are still experiencing difficulties,” he stated.
Mr. Buchanan told JIS News that the NWC’s restoration plan in the period immediately following the hurricane, saw priority being given to “those systems which served the largest and widest areas, as well as all systems that had not suffered any damage.” This plan was effectively implemented as all of the targeted systems have been restored and attention has now been placed on the smaller and most damaged systems.
“We have some areas in which we still have work to be done in terms of completing the repairs to intake structures, which were damaged in the hurricane. We also have a few areas where we are still awaiting other repairs to be effected and the energising of the water supply facilities,” Mr. Buchanan pointed out.
The areas, he informed, were spread across the parishes, but their location had contributed to their failure to receive pipe-borne water. “By and large, the areas that are yet without piped water supply following Hurricane Ivan, are mainly areas which are remote, small communities, or in areas where the extent of the devastation caused by the hurricane has been more pronounced than in other areas,” Mr. Buchanan pointed out.
Even as the NWC works to restore capacity, water is being trucked to the affected communities by the Rapid Response Unit, private truckers and the NWC. “We recognise that in some instances, trucking is not the most effective means of delivering to some areas, because you have areas where the trucks are simply unable to access the communities or sections of communities. All of our efforts are being placed into restoring piped supplies in the shortest possible time to those few remaining areas,” stressed Mr. Buchanan.
Although the Public Relations Manager is giving the assurance that “the National Water Commission is doing everything to ensure that the water is being fully treated and that all the normal safety precautions are adhered to,” customers to whom piped supplies has been restored are reminded to treat with bleach or boil all drinking water until further notice.