Thank you for visiting WWW.BELGRAFIX.COM, "Grenada on the Internet, one byte at a time"

HOME	APRIL 09th, 2005

Tell a friend about us

Tell a friend about us

The state-run National Water and Sewage Authority (NAWASA) has announced plans to fully complete its nation-wide Metering Programme. Officials of NAWASA told reporters at a press conference Tuesday at its main office on the Carenage that the metering programme will resume on April 18. NAWASA's Acting Deputy General Manager, Michael Creft said the Authority will resume the Metering Programme in the rural parishes of St. Mark's, St. John's and St. Patrick's.

Creft pointed out that home owners in these areas have being pay their utility bills on the basis of estimates of the amount of water consumed. "What we (NAWASA) are trying to do is to provide customers (with) an improved level of service, so that they will get a correct idea of water they have consumed", he said.

He was confident that the programme would in turn help NAWASA in terms of water conservation as people would become more conscious of the amount of water they consume. NAWASA's Chief Engineer Lester Arnold who also spoke at the press conference outlined the benefits that will derive from the metering programme.

He listed these as a reduction in water consumption by approximately 15-30 per cent, a reduction in operation and maintenance costs of water systems, as well as deferment of capital investment for the upgrading of water systems and increased efficiency in dealing with leakage.

According to NAWASA's Manager of Planning Design and Construction Department, Christopher Husbands the authority is seeking to install 6,000 meters in the programme. He said the utility body will be using 12 Data Collectors, who will go to households in the areas targeted in order to gather information in terms of identifying persons without meters and then installing them.

He indicated that the Data Collectors will leave an identification number on the person's property. Husbands appealed to home owners not to remove the identification numbers since they are needed to help NAWASA in implementing an effective meter installation system. He data collection process will run for three months before NAWASA moves onto the next phase which is meter installation. The parish of St George's was completely metered by the authority in 1995.