At last, the prolonged water-rationing in Anguilla is expected to be something in the past by the end of April or early May. This has been occasioned by the signing of a contract between the Water Corporation of Anguilla and Caribbean Water Treatment Limited, after a protracted process of tendering and processing.
The contract was signed on Friday, January 30, following the dissemination of the tender on May 19, 2014. The Antigua-based company, selected to provide the service, has over twenty-two years experience and expertise in operating Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plants in the Caribbean mainly, and other parts of the world.
“This is a long anticipated day for us,” Mrs Evelyne Apire-Hodge, Chief Executive Officer of the Water Corporation, who signed the contract, told reporters. “We are looking forward to having an extra plant for water from the sea, at Crocus Bay, to increase our water production and to be better able to serve the people of Anguilla.”
According to her, the plant is expected to produce 500,000 gallons of water a day, with the possibility of increasing that amount to 1,000,000 gallons depending on the demand. That water supply will be complemented by the brackish water system which is linked with a number of wells in The Valley.
Mr Evan Gumbs, Minister of Infrastructure, said he was very happy to among those signing the contract to provide additional water for Anguilla. “It is long overdue. I have been getting a number of calls from persons needing water on the island, and I am happy to see that this contract is taking place today,” he said.
The contract with Caribbean Water Treatment Limited is for ten years, following which the equipment and operation of the plant will be handed over to the Water Corporation.
The new plant will entail the use of the existing building at Crocus Bay, owned by the Water Corporation. The company will be installing its own equipment there over the coming weeks, and will also utilise the existing pipelines in the sea. The plant was closed by its previous operator, General Electric, in September 2012, leaving Anguilla with a considerable shortage of portable water.
A press release, issued by the Water Corporation, and read by the Chairman, Mrs Marlene Brooks, a signatory to the contract, stated that following a rigorous evaluation, Caribbean Water Treatment Limited was awarded the tender in August 2014. The company accepted the offer in September 2014 under a Build Own Transfer. It was among seven other companies which tendered for the contract. They were GTN Energy, St Martin; TSG Water Works, Anguilla; Krener, Spain; Ocean Conversion, British Virgin Islands; L.T.D., Tortola; Air Water Innova, USA; and Seven Seas Water Corporation, USA.
Caribbean Water Treatment Limited was represented at the signing ceremony by its Managing Director, Mr Mario Bento.
“Let me first express my happiness that we have finally reached this long-awaited singing of the contract,” he said. “This is probably the tenth or twelfth version of the contract. We are very excited to be putting in a new plant for the Government and people of Anguilla.” Noting that Antigua often suffered from drought conditions, he said his company clearly understood the need to meet the water demands of the Anguillian public.
“We look forward to working with the Water Corporation in the coming years, to continue to meet the demand which I expect will grow, as we provide a better service to customers,” he added.
Meanwhile, the press release pointed out that the Water Corporation of Anguilla, now under new management, was rebranding itself. Its aim is “to be a more customer-oriented organisation to better understand and meet the needs of the customer.”
The Corporation has apologised and expressed “great appreciation to its loyal customers who have endured with the water-rationing situation for the past two years.”
