The weather may be hot and the ground rather dry, but April is Water Month in Anguilla and the chair man of the Water Corporation, Mr. John Christopher Richardson, is quite delighted over the fact that local residents can now enjoy a 24-hour per day water supply all week long. In his words: “There has been an infinite improvement to Anguilla’s water service.”
He was speaking at the time in the presence of Mr. Frederick Hung, the President of Seven Seas Water, who is Anguilla’s current water service provider. Mr. Hung, along with Seven Seas Managing Director, Mr. Franklyn Richardson, were visiting the island’s water plant in Crocus Bay to assess the progress of the water supply first hand.
Mr. Richardson was asked by The Anguillan to give a brief synopsis of the current water situation now that there are evident improvements. He explained: “Since last October, when we engaged with Seven Seas, we were able to increase our production by as much as 300%. We have moved from producing 300,000 gallons per day to 900,000 gallons currently.
“By the end of February, we had moved to 650,000 gallons per day. Since then, we have been able to add another 250,000 gallons per day to arrive at a current 900,000 gallons now. It is this capacity that has enabled us to supply water on a 24-hour basis without cuts.” He added, “There is no question that there has been an infinite improvement to Anguilla’s water service.”
Mr. Richardson emphasized: “Until not long ago, we would have opened the valves to the island’s service at 6:00 a.m. daily and closed them off at 4:30 p.m. Now, however, we are looking at providing water service around the clock.” He stressed: “I would like to thank those persons who have called and given us statements of compliments for the service. Many of them have not only complimented the Water Corporation but, by extension, they have commended our partnership with Seven Seas who have indeed met its commitment.
“Our agreement with Seven Seas was that after six months our water supply would be up to optimum level, enough to serve the public full-time. The Minister of Utilities pushed a great deal, and the Water Corporation pushed hard as well. Now, remarkably, we have achieved this level of excellence — 900,000 gallons in just six months, since last October.”
Mr. Hung chimed in: “We have come to see the progress of the plant’s operations. We are actually making sure that our partnership with the Water Corporation is working, and bearing fruit, and that all is going according to everyone’s likings.”
And he spoke very highly of the water plant’s three service operators headed by Mr. Quincy Eleonora, who, along with Mr. Coyle Richardson and Mr. Dille Carty, were doing an effective job managing the plant and keeping the operations going smoothly.
by Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
