By Robert A Emmanuel
Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office, Lionel Hurst, has said that the administration’s attention on reverse osmosis facilities to tackle the country’s water production issues has allowed a leak in the Potworks Dam cement wall to go unaddressed.
A video was shared on social media showing a major spillway of water, following the passage of Tropical Storm Phillipe which delivered more than 8 inches of rain.
Prime Minister Browne on his weekly radio programme, lambasted APUA officials on the lack of attention to the water reservoir which has also been affected by drought.
Browne stated two weeks ago that the government has invested too much public funds in water production and supply for ‘heads not to roll’ related to Potworks Dam.
“There’s no doubt that it should have been done before, but because we were so focused on reverse osmosis plants and, I guess, some of us lost faith that there would be rainfall anytime soon, I don’t think that they examined that wall in particular,” Hurst said at the weekly Cabinet briefing.
During discussions with APUA officials, Hurst said that a plan would be implemented to ensure monitoring of the dam to ensure swift repairs of the reservoir’s wall.
Hurst added that compared to any leakage on the floor of the dam, fixing a cement wall was much easier to deal with for the government.
He claimed “Many people, who are not experts, suggested that we remove the unwanted vegetation, but the experts told us don’t do any such thing, and we’re glad that we didn’t [remove any] because there doesn’t seem to be any cracks in the floor of the dam.
“It will take some engineering skills, but it is easier to repair than if the floor of the dam had become porous, so we are glad that APUA is working on this.”
