The National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) continues to monitor the path of Tropical Storm Elsa that is expected to affect Grenada and its dependencies, starting Friday, 2 July 2021.
At present, the country is under a Tropical Storm Watch which means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours. The preparatory actions of NAWASA in maintaining and restoring water and sewerage services is of vital importance to national post-disaster activities, and NAWASA has therefore enacted its Disaster Emergency Plan. This plan looks at measures to be undertaken for the protection of the Authority’s infrastructure.
NAWASA’s overall intention for this period is to have all water treatment plants open so that persons can have storage tanks and containers filled to last at minimum 3 days. At the moment, all water systems with the exception of Plaisance in St Andrew; Union, St Mark and Mt Plaisir, and Concord in the parish of St John, are up and running. These systems were challenged due to the inclement weather over the past 48 hours.
NAWASA recognises that consumers served by those systems will not be able to maintain a 3-day supply as recommended and apologises for this. Rest assured that efforts are being made to have those cleared for distribution as soon as possible. Persons with limited supplies are also encouraged to safely capture rainwater for post-disaster use if necessary.
An islandwide network shutdown of all water systems is not yet scheduled, however the timing for such disruption in service is dependent on 2 factors: the weather conditions and the risks involved at the different systems. Consumers are therefore reminded of the need to have water stored to last at minimum 3 days taking into consideration the immediate needs of their family.
Elsa is expected to bring heavy rainfall and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds by Friday morning into Saturday. Such conditions can render water systems highly susceptible to turbidity and dam blockages hindering the production of water for an extended period.
Persons with storage tanks are encouraged to switch off the outlet of those tanks, as late as conditions allow, so that the stored water would not be lost through leaks that may occur on a customer’s property due to damaged plumbing, during the passage of the storm.
NAWASA thanks the general public for their cooperation, understanding and patience during this period. With the support of NADMA and the Meteorological Office, the organisation will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Elsa provide an update as information becomes available.
NAWASA…committed to meeting customers’ needs.
