For three decades, fisherman Adrian Baptiste and his neighbours along Hamilton Road off Maracas Bay Old Road have known only the frustration of an unreliable water supply. Buckets, rationing, and uncertainty were part of daily life – until now.
On July 19th 2025, members of WASA’s Executive Evolution Team, led by Acting CEO, Jeevan Joseph, as part of the Authority’s nationwide infrastructure assessment and community engagement tour, visited the North Coast to interact first-hand with members of the fishing village to determine their supply needs.
During that interaction, Mr. Baptiste, 45, a husband and father of three, was among several residents who complained about the poor service from WASA. Now, a mere three weeks later, Mr. Baptiste is singing a different tune, one of thanks and gratitude to the Authority for doing its job by providing the village with a sustained, reliable five-days-a-week water supply.
“Since I’m living here, it is the first time that water flowed in my face basin tap inside my home, and the pressure is so good, even the bathroom shower. I now know how it feels to have water hitting yuh back.”
For the tight-knit fisherfolk community, water isn’t just a convenience – it’s survival. Natasha Bharat, 46, a lifelong Maracas Bay resident, recalls days when weak pressure or dry taps meant lost income.
“The fisherfolk depend heavily on water to not only sustain their families, but our livelihood, and I am thankful to WASA for all the work that they have done to ensure that our village receives a good water supply.”
These sentiments were echoed by Judith Gomez, who runs a modest guesthouse in this tourist location. Ms. Gomez was effusive in her praise of the supply improvements and stated that she was confident that supply issues that plagued the community were now a thing of the past.
On a follow-up visit to Maracas on August 11th 2025, the Acting CEO Jeevan Joseph was pleased that WASA’s efforts to improve the levels of service had proved to be successful.
The change came after WASA upgraded the Tyrico Water Treatment Plant and repaired ageing pipelines, work that Acting CEO Joseph praised, and he commended the team from the Authority’s Asset Maintenance and Operations Division, North-West.
“We have to make a difference in the lives of people. This isn’t just about infrastructure,” he noted. “It’s about dignity, health, and giving families access to potable water.”
As WASA continues its evolution towards a service-driven utility, communities like Maracas Bay and Charlieville serve to remind the Authority of its mandate to deliver a reliable, equitable, and sustainable water supply to all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.