Utilities minister Haydn Hughes has revealed that up to 80% of Anguilla’s water supply is being lost into the ground due to “dilapidated and old” pipelines.
Some of the island’s tanks have never had water in them and others will “tear up the pipes” if they are filled because of outdated and failing infrastructure, he said.
Hughes was speaking in response to a question on the state of the water supply system during a government press conference on Monday, 10 February.
He was asked for an update on a report looking into Anguilla’s water infrastructure, which appeared to be in reference to a two-week visit from a team of 15 Royal Engineers in May 2024.
Hughes told attendees that the report is “still forthcoming” but said it was unlikely to deviate from a previous report carried out by Castalia in 2024.
That report showed that Anguilla was losing up to 80% of the water in the ground, the minister said, adding: “It’s probably more than that now.”
Progress
Anguilla’s water distribution network was managed by the statutory body, The Water Corporation of Anguilla, from 2009 until April 2024 when it was replaced by the Department of Water Services.
That year, a total of EC$4m was allocated in the government’s 2024-2025 Budget as part of $16m phased funding for network replacement, smart meter installation, leak repairs, and billing system upgrades.
Hughes said discussions are ongoing on how the network can be improved in the face of “significant challenges”.
He went on to explain that during the last two Joint Ministerial Council meetings, Premier Ellis Webster made representations to the United Kingdom government about Anguilla’s water supply.
In addition, Stephen Doughty, the UK’s Minister for the Overseas Territories, toured the water plant during his visit in November, 2024, and “understands the issues that we have with water”, Hughes said.
“If there’s one thing that the British government is going to assist the Government of Anguilla with, that is the rehabilitation of the water network. So that’s where we are right now with it,” he added.
Water bills
Hughes said he is aware that many people in Anguilla have had issues with their water bills, and encouraged them to visit the ministry to voice their concerns.
“Some of those situations are where there was leakages, and they end up with significant bills because of those leakages,” he said.
“It’s not that they were consuming the water, it’s just that the water was leaking to the ground, and they went through the meter, and they end up with bills of $5-10-15-20-30,000.”
On 10 February, the same day as the press conference, the Department of Water Services said it was experiencing distribution issues in several areas throughout the island.
“Trouble shooting has already begun and leak detection is scheduled to continue on Tuesday, 11 February, simultaneously on both sides of the distribution system,” it said in a Facebook statement.
The department added that the supply throughout the island would be intermittent while leak detection continued.
The Department of Water Services can be contacted at (264) 497-1270 between 8am and 4pm or 584-1297 outside of normal working hours.
