Lack of water forces early closure at Ebenezer Thomas Primary School
Students at the school were relieved of their learning duties for the remainder of the day as they were sent on their way home just after 1:30 P.M.
One source revealed that the students had to be sent home to avoid a possible sanitation issue arising as a result of the absence of water in the school’s compound.
This news site was informed that the school’s water supply was cut off some time around 11 A.M. and a call was subsequently made for permission to send the students home.
Kishmet B. Daniel, who has four children attending the Ebenezer Thomas Primary school located in Sea Cows Bay and is a part time teacher at the school, also confirmed that students were dismissed early because of the lack of water.
She described the situation as shameful. She said when the District Representative Hon. Julian Fraser left office last year as the Minister for Communications and Works he left a good working water plant in Baughers Bay that could have produced water that could have help in the Sea Cows Bay area. "He left a Biwater project to help address the water crisis on Tortola but the NDP government has gone out of their way to frustrate that project", she contended.
Ms. Daniel said the lack of water at the school had resulted in the children having to suffer and parents leaving their jobs to pick up children and others having no one to look after their children because of the untimely dismissal of school due to the water situation. She called on the government to have the water at the Sea Cows Bay school address because water is essential.
Acting Chief Education Officer Ms Jillian Douglas-Phillip of the Department of Education said, the Principal of the Ebenezer Thomas Primary School contacted the Department yesterday at 1:30 P.M. and "based on information gathered from the Water & Sewerage Department… they are conducting repairs that would not be [finished] until the end of the day.”
Ms Douglas-Phillp assured that school would resume as normal today, November 20, 2012.
Ag. Deputy Director of the Water & Sewerage Department, Mr Bernard Grant explained that work was being conducted near the water plant after a main pipe had malfunctioned in the area.
“The water plant went down last night because it wasn't pumping water to the reservoir so the reservoir didn't have any water this morning,” Grant said.
“We had to repair the main first… by tomorrow [today] we should get back water,” he added. Grant explained that announcements were done on the radio for the works being done and said that the water should be back on first thing in the morning.
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“The water plant went down last night because it wasn't pumping water to the reservoir so the reservoir didn't have any water this morning,” Grant said.
“We had to repair the main first… by tomorrow [today] we should get back water,” he added. Grant explained that announcements were done on the radio for the works being and said that the water should be back on first thing in the morning.
The person at WSD explained the situation. What is the problem? Things like this happen all the time with utilities, both Water and Electricity. There was a problem, it was being fixed, it should be fine today!