BWA GM defends water quality on South Coast

“I stand by the quality of our water” was the position taken by General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) Keithroy Halliday, as he sought to address concerns raised by some property and business owners, as well as residents touched by the South Coast sewage crisis.

After some residents and property owners indicated that they boil all water coming from their taps for drinking purposes, while speaking at a sensitisation meeting held by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), along with the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) recently at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Halliday decided to address the issue openly.

“I get a little concerned when people jump on the bandwagon and say we had to boil the water, we had to do X, Y, Z because [the suggestion that the water quality is not good], that is far from the truth. Our water quality is tested and we have gone through this so many times, [it’s tested] at least fifty times per week, which is far above the required standard,” Halliday stated.

Acknowledging that there are areas tested sometimes that indicate that the residual chlorine is not what is expected for varying reasons, Halliday maintained that the lines are flushed and it is ensured that the water is always of a high quality with reference to that catchment area.

What’s more, he noted that the BWA has expanded its Water Quality Department, to ensure that special attention is given to ensuring that the water remains of a high standard.

“We took a conscious decision that we are going to expand our Water Quality Department, just to make sure that we are giving the coverage that we should. In the actual catchment area, we do check the water even more often, and since we realised that we were having challenges, we raised the chlorination levels across the board, just to make sure that our quality is the way it should be. So I just want to make that clear,” Halliday said. (RSM)