Relief from Anguilla’s deficient water supply is in the pipeline, (no pun intended) as a shipment of new water pipes has recently arrived on the island. This news was announced by the Minister responsible for Water, the Honourable Kyle Hodge, during the Government Press Conference of Monday, February 9th. Mr. Hodge also holds the Portfolios for Economic Development, Industry, Commerce, Lands, Planning, and Natural Resources.
“For the Department of Water Services, a particular milestone has been reached in our water rehabilitation programme,” Minister Hodge said. “Today we received our first shipment of C-900 water pipes which will be used to replace the aging pipes and enhance water distribution across some of the most affected areas of Anguilla.”
He announced that pipe laying works will soon begin along two major roads, namely: the JW Proctors Road through The Long Path and up to Sandy Hill; and the Little Harbour Road to the end of the Jeremiah Gumbs Highway where the road intersects with the Blowing Point Road.
“This is the first phase of a broader islandwide upgrade,” Mr. Hodge said. “In total, we are expecting 18 flat-racks of C-900 piping. These are the big blue 10 inch and 12 inch pipe. Today we received four of those flat- racks that were successfully delivered to the Road Bay Port. The rest should be arriving in the coming weeks.”
“The procurement documentation for this project,” the Minister said, “has been in development for some time, and it is now nearing completion.” He said that once the documentation is finalised, it will be publicly advertised and open to local contractors so that Anguillian entities can participate in delivering this critical infrastructure work on Anguilla’s water system.
He has paid a visit to the worksite where the new lines were laid in Sandy Hill and he was satisfied that the next step now is to make the connections with the pipes on the roadside. “When this is done,” he said, “many homes in the Sandy Hill area will be receiving water through the upgraded water network.”
“Overall, we are well on the way to transforming Anguilla’s water system. By replacing old failing pipes with the new C-900 infrastructure,” he promised, “we will reduce leaks and water loss, improve water pressure and distribution, and deliver a more reliable supply of water to homes and businesses across Anguilla.”
The Minister said that he had lately met with the former CEO of the Water Corporation, Mr. Romel Hughes, in an effort to review lessons learnt from previous network upgrades. He noted that one of the key takeaways from that meeting was the importance of strong project oversight while the pipe laying is in progress in order to ascertain that the pipes are properly installed.
“We will be placing particular emphasis on carefully handling and properly placing the pipes within those trenches,” he stressed. There must be proper bedding beneath the pipes and adequate compaction above.
Minister Hodge said there will be continuous monitoring of the contractual works. In order to ensure specific standards are met, he will be deploying dedicated project monitors to oversee and regulate each stage of the work in order to ensure correct installation.
For many years, Anguilla had been suffering from a dire need of adequate water supply, as studies had indicated that the old, deteriorating pipes were causing some 80% of the water produced to leak into the ground. Many households which depended on “government water” experienced the hardships of low water pressure, or virtually no water at all, for many days. The new water upgrade, therefore, would now be like music to the ears.
