More than 40 communities affected as APUA water supply is halted indefinitely for emergency maintenance at Crabbs

Over 40 communities and locations across Antigua will be without water indefinitely since the Crabbs Reverse Osmosis Plant is currently offline for emergency maintenance.
 
As a consequence, the Water Business Unit of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) says the schedule for water distribution has been impacted.
 
The issue appears to be affecting mostly communities in the central, western, eastern and northern parts of the island, including: St. John’s City; Lower Ottos; Michael’s Village; Ovals; Independence Avenue to Government House; Grays Farm to Greenbay Primary School; Cassada Gardens #1, 2 and 3; Union Road, from Bruce’s Nightclub to Hawksbill Resorts; and Yeptons. Also impacted are Mill Reef; Langfords area in the vicinity of the Police Training Academy; Blue Waters; and Tradewinds and its surroundings.

In a public notice, APUA reports that its “technicians are already working to resolve this issue in the safest and shortest possible time.”
However, no precise time frame was given indicating when these areas would receive normal water services.

The Authority only says that it deeply regrets any inconvenience caused and will provide an update on the next rescheduled day for the affected areas.
 
Meanwhile, Senator Damani Tabor is reminding the Nation that, on May 2, during the annual Labour Day celebrations, Prime Minister Gaston Browne promised that, in 21 days, there would be an additional 2 million gallons of water per day flowing through the pipes.
 
However, the Senator says, residents are yet to experience this increase.
 
In terms of APUA’s capacity to deliver on Browne’s promise, Tabor says the Administration has failed to provide the workers with the tools and parts required to do their work and to service and maintain the machines and other apparatus.
 
In the meantime, a source says that residents are already not getting water, and so APUA’s publication of the notice is laughable. She says some people would see the situation as business as usual, since certain areas have been without water for four and five weeks.