Arouca/Lopinot MP Marvin Gonzales has called for a criminal investigation into the Water and Sewerage Authority’s water-trucking operations, alleging that questionable contractor payments and deliberate supply disruptions are costing WASA money and hurting families.
During a parliamentary contribution, Gonzales, a former public utilities minister, claimed contractors were paid $1,200 to deliver water to tank farms and then received another $1,200 to take water from those facilities for delivery to homes.
He described the arrangement as scandalous and questioned why water trucks were operating across Trinidad and Tobago while households continued to experience unreliable pipe-borne supplies.
Gonzales further alleged that people within the water-distribution system could benefit financially when residents do not receive a reliable supply. He claimed valves could be closed to deprive communities of water, forcing residents to request truck-borne deliveries while someone profited.
He said families already facing job losses and higher food prices were paying between $700 and $1,200 for water needed to cook, bathe their children and prepare them for school.
Gonzales said the trucking arrangements were draining WASA’s finances and adversely affecting families. His allegations were not independently verified in the parliamentary excerpt, and no response from WASA was presented in that portion of the debate.
