The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI issued an interesting release (see related story) calling on all residents of Ginger Road in Cay Hill to inspect their water meters for potential leaks. The initiative is said to be part of ongoing efforts to promote sustainable water usage, reduce wastage and preserve the integrity of St. Maarten’s road network by reducing water settlement on the street.
Residents are advised to check their water meters for any signs of leaks or irregularities, arrange for repairs immediately should a leak be detected and contact VROMI for guidance or assistance if needed.
Such a statement begs the question whether a specific problem exists in that area and to what extent utilities provider GEBE is aware. In addition, any leak “behind” the meter would obviously increase water consumption, but perhaps due to the government-owned company’s recent erratic bills this may not have stood out.
Enlisting the public’s help is certainly not a bad idea, but it remains hard to believe any significant water loss behind a home’s meter would go unnoticed by its occupant. A more likely scenario is people washing cars along the road or emptying the content of cisterns and swimming pools, while, of course, running sewage continues to be a well-known phenomenon on the island.
Nevertheless, one understands attempts to address this problem and only time will tell whether the now chosen approach is an effective one.
