BY FRANCIS JOSEPH
Nine persons, including a WASA employee, were arrested by Tobago Police following damage to WASA facilities across the island last Saturday morning.
This was revealed by Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath this morning as he called for the WASA Act to be amended to hand stiffer penalties to wrong doers. This, he said was not only domestic terrorism, but treason.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the attack on the facilities was “coordinated and deliberate”.
Augustine added, “This is not petty theft. This is not mischief. This is a direct and deliberate attack on essential public infrastructure. It is an act that borders on domestic terrorism.”
According to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), power cables were cut and stolen from multiple locations, including Arnos Vale Well #4, Bacolet Well #3, facilities along the Claude Noel Highway, and installations at Bloody Bay.
The damage has had immediate and far-reaching consequences, with communities across Tobago facing water disruptions.
The Courland supply zone has been among the hardest hit, affecting areas such as Crown Point, Plymouth, Les Coteaux, Culloden and Seaview.
Additional disruptions are expected along the Claude Noel Highway corridor, impacting Signal Hill, Patience Hill, Lambeau and Lowlands, while residents from Bloody Bay to Castara—served by a single well and treatment plant—were also affected.
Augustine warned that the situation poses risks not only to households but also to hospitals, schools, businesses and the tourism sector.
“This is an attack on the lifeblood of the island,” he said, urging citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
The matter was reported to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
Padarath confirmed that the water supply had been restored to all communities.
