THE PLUMBERS’ ASSOCIATION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO At the Public Service since 1998.
13 BELMONT CIRCULAR ROAD, BELMONT, P.O.S Telephone: 627-6740/623-0720/298-5527 Fax: 624-9162 E-mail: tpattcorres@gmail.com
5th June, 2011
PRESS RELEASE The Editor, THE PLUMBERS ASSOCIA TION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (TPATT) finds itself in great difficulty to stay muted on the sidelines , while the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) General Manager, Corporate Communications, Ms. Ellen Lewis, issues a statement to the print media which appeared in the Newsday of June 3 r d , 2011 under the caption ‘No WASA Mistake’. WASA has forced TPATT to respond to the statement, which our Association views as misleading, to do otherwise will be a disservice to our members of the Plumbing profession, the Engineering Fraternity, the Construction Industry and by extension the general public. TPATT wishes to respond under the following rubric: WASA’s statement: ‘The position of Manager New Services currently held by Ms . Carol Dos Santos does not require either a background or qualification in engineering. ’ TPATT’s response: From the inception of the Authority in 1965, a department was established with the responsibility to: 1. Check, approve, inspect and c ertify Engineering Designs of Water Reticulation and Wastewater systems 2. Check, approve, inspect and c ertify Plumbing System Designs of Domestic, Commercial, Industrial a nd Institutional buildings The department was formerly entitled Investigations, Designs and Construction , and is now called the New Services Department . These Departments have always been managed by an Engineer , until about a year ago when the qualified and highly trained holders of specific technical info rmation were removed en masse from the department under strange circumstances.
To promote competency, and professionalism, in the Plumbing Industry; to safeguard and protect the environment, and the health of our twin -island Republic.
They were subsequently replaced by staff with little or no technical experience needed to provide the high level of service to Licensed Plumbers, the Engineering fraternity and the general public. This is further compounded with a Manager to head the department who does not possess an Engineering degree or knowledge of Plumbing s ystems. Our information states, the Manager of the New Services Department should possess the minimum qualification of B.Sc. Engineering (Civil/Environmental Engineering) . Additionally, the candidate should have at least six (6) years experience in the field of Water and Wastewater Engineering with special emphasis on Wastewater Treatment Processes and Sewerage Systems designs. We contend that th is present Manager possess neither the minimum training, qualification or experience that is required for such a position, it is also our view that thirty (30) years’ experience outside a Technical Department is not sufficient qualification to manage this specialist unit. We find it difficult to compreh end why WASA has decided to continue such a management system and make such an erroneous statement to defend it. Despite TPATTs protestations, the service provided by the New Services Department continues to deteriorate, and this frustrates not only Plumbers ( TPATTs members) but also Home owner s, Design/Engineering Consultants , Land Developers and national infrastructural development. The department has moved from an approval agency to a combative one , with applications for Approvals left pending for periods , as long as six (6) months and defect lists for rejected designs have references, which are not mentioned in any codes , standards or design conventions We are not happy to have to respond through this medium , but a monthly statutory meeting between TPATT and the New Services Department arranged by Mr. Ganga Singh, WASA’s CEO as a forum to addres s issues, was unceremoniously disbanded by the Manager. TPATT fears that if the situation continues to remain unchecked, we foresee this scourge being transferred to the Ministerial Coordinating Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production for and on behalf of Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited . We call on WASA’s Executive Management to retra ct the misleading statement and address the untenable situation which presently exists at WASA’s New Services Department. For and on behalf of THE PLUMBERS ASSOCIA TION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RALPH HAYNES EXECUTIVE SECRETARY