The National Water and Sewerage (NAWASA) is assuring the general public of the safety of its water supply from its Annandale Water System, despite the discovery of a body at the Grand Etang Lake on Wednesday March 11th, 2020.
NAWASA assures the population that there are sufficient natural and internal interventions in its supply system, between the source and delivery to customers, to guarantee the water supply is 100% safe for consumption, even with such discovery.
NAWASA explains that the Grand Etang Lake has a capacity of 60 million imperial gallons of water and though it is utilized by the company as a source of raw water, the actual catchment area is a significant distance from the centre of the lake.
Water from the Grand Etang Lake is used periodically to augment the supply to the Annandale Water System, when necessary, during periods of significant shortfall.
Providing further details about the interventions that guarantee the safety of the water for consumption, NAWASA notes that the water abstracted from the Grand Etang Lake is pumped to a nearby stream. This supply goes through the natural process of stream flow such as aeration before entering the Annandale Dam. Subsequently, it flows by gravity feed to the treatment plant where it undergoes pre-chlorination, sedimentation and filtration. The water supply is then stored post chlorination prior to distribution.
Based on the outlined natural and company instituted interventions, NAWASA is confident that its water supply from its Annandale Water System is guaranteed safe for public consumption.
The company’s position is endorsed by the Ministry of Health, which has worked in close collaboration with NAWASA’s technical team to validate the rationale for the public assurances.
Both NAWASA and the Ministry of Health affirm that the assurances provided are in keeping with their respective commitments to meeting customers’ needs and helping persons maintain a state of optimum wellness.
