BWA aims for better inter-utility communication around road repairs

The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is stepping up efforts to improve communication with sister utilities and accelerate road reinstatements following pipe repairs, Director of Engineering Charles Leslie has said. “Over the last few months we have been working steadily with our sister utilities and our ministry, our current ministry… We have set up some apps which… allow us to record where [a problem] is located, what is needed, so that when our contractors respond… they will be informed of what’s happening,” Leslie said during a press conference on Saturday.

He explained that the apps facilitate real-time sharing of information with the National Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Public Works, while ensuring coordination with other utilities before repairs begin.

Acting CEO Christopher Mapp said the BWA is also addressing delays in road reinstatements. “We don’t get reinstatements done as quickly as we should… We have now agreed on a schedule of rates with contractors… using a certain group of contractors to do the temporary reinstatements. Once that is completed we are sending that list to the Ministry of Transport and Works and they are using contractors then also to do the permanent reinstatement,” Mapp said, adding that this approach is expected to reduce delays and hazards caused by open roads.

Hydrogeologist Jaime Paul also provided an update on the BWA’s dye tracing project, which maps the underground movement of water and potential contaminants. “We injected dye at one location and… inserted receptors at different locations to see if the water actually passes there and the time frame… This helps provide information for our management of water resources,” Paul said. He noted the project also helps identify water lost through sinkholes. “We put some water there [sinkholes] to see the pathway it takes. It unlocks the mystery of karst for us. it helps us to understand what’s going on underground properly,” he explained.

The BWA’s tanker fleet, used to supply water to areas with recurring shortages, is also being enhanced. Leslie said two shifts operate daily to serve high-demand areas, but redeployment is needed as tankers travel across the island. “We recently decided that… we have beacons installed on most of the tankers now. When the tankers are in operation to deploy water… they’ll be using the beacons; when they’re going back to refill they will turn the beacons off so that the customers… know the tanker is returning to refill,” Leslie said. He added that customer feedback helps refine deployments to ensure water reaches those who need it most.