The Antigua Public Utilities Authority Water Business Unit has released a plan set out to increase water production, storage and improve distribution to meet the growing demands of its customers.
The short-term objectives to be attained in a four-week time span includes:
-Increasing production at Ivan Rodrigues Reverse Osmosis Plant by replacing 336 membranes. This will result in an increase of 150,000 imperial gallons of water daily.
-Increasing production at Crabbs Reverse Osmosis Plant by replacing 516 membranes resulting in an increase of 600,000 imperial gallons of water daily.
The medium-term objectives to be attained in six to eight months includes:
-The shipping of a Reverse osmosis plant from Japan in August.
-The installation of the Fort James Reverse Osmosis Plant which will produce 500,000 imperial gallons of water daily.
-The installation of an additional unit at Ffryes Reverse Osmosis Plant that will produce 300,000 imperial gallons of water daily.
Long Terms Objectives to be attained in nine to twelve months includes:
-The Installation of the Bethesda Reverse Osmosis Plant which will produce 3 million imperial gallons of water daily.
-The Installation of three one-million-gallon water storage tanks.
They are also assuring the public that within 12 months the company APUA will have the desalination capacity at nameplate 11.5 million imperial gallons 0f water with a daily sustainable production of approximately 9.2 million imperial gallons.
This will provide about 2 million imperial gallons daily in reserves.
They are also a few PDV Donated Storage Facilities to be commissioned soon including Collins Storage Tank, Buckley’s Storage Tank and Patterson Storage Tank.
Earlier this year the Water Business Unit established that the nation’s demand for water was 7 million Imperial Gallons per day and was predicted to increase to 8 million by the end of the year.
As a result of severe drought conditions, production levels declined from an average of 7 million gallons per day to an average of 6.4 million gallons per day.
In March, APUA observed an increase in demand that can be attributed to the introduction of COVID-19
Safety Protocols to include the requirement of regular hand washing in homes and businesses, the resurgence of food security programs and the depletion of the supply of water in ground and surface catchments.
A resulting consequence of increased demand is the rapid depletion of the daily water supply.APUA remains committed to its obligation to provide potable water to consumers and ensure its equitable distribution.
