The Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) Inc. has heightened its monitoring and surveillance of its water resources in the south of the island, in a move to address public concerns about the possible impact of volcanic activity on its resources, with the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The concern comes following news from the seismic research unit in Trinidad regarding the eruption of volcano on Thursday, April 8th 2021.
“In response to the current situation, WASCO wishes to stress that our monitoring and surveillance of the water resources particularly in the south of the island are now heightened. This is due to the fact that the raw water sources may be impacted by volcanic ash since many of them are exposed to the elements.
“Volcanic ash contains high levels of minerals that affect the water’s PH and turbidity levels. In order to address these issues, WASCO’s response will include the flushing of any affected system to remove contaminants and a review of its treatment process where necessary,” WASCO revealed in a statement yesterday.
The company adds that while the effect of a shutdown of the water system is not lost on it, especially as the dry season progresses, customers are encouraged to ensure that they have adequate storage in case its control systems need to be activated.
“Already, low flows are being registered at our intakes in the south. In addition, customers are urged to take personal responsibility by initiating conservation practices to avoid the inconvenience of a service interruption,” the company stated.