Interruptions to Anguilla’s water supply over the past few months are due to overtime not being paid to key manual workers, according to the utilities minister.
During an interview on Radio Anguilla on 6 June, Kyle Hodge said the Department of Water Services issue dates back nearly a year to 2024.
The minister said the former administration had been “delinquent” in paying overtime and on-call allowances – amounting to an unpaid bill estimated to be between $25,000 and $30,000.
“We have inherited the good, the bad and the ugly – and there’s no running away from it, we just have to address it the best way we can,” Hodge said.
Before the dispute, staff started shifts as early as 3am to open valves, ensuring water was available by early morning. They also stayed late into the evening to keep water flowing.
However, because of the unpaid wages, workers have since restricted themselves to regular working hours, beginning at 8am when they turn on the valves and closing them by 4pm.
Water in areas such as West End and South Hill does not begin flowing until 9.30am or 10am, after many residents have already started their day, the minister said.
Last week, Hodge met with government officials, including the accountant general and the financial officer for water services, to sort out discrepancies in the hours worked and payment owed.
He confirmed the issue has now been resolved, adding: “Those guys would be paid their overtime that is due to them early next week.”
The minister emphasised that addressing personnel matters is the government’s top priority, as ensuring staff are treated well is essential for restoring reliable water service.
“Because in everything, once you treat people good, once you take care of the people’s needs, then everything else can fall into place,” he said.
Moving forward, the administration is focusing on improving water production, storage and distribution to provide a more consistent supply across the island, he said.
Anguilla’s water distribution network was managed by the statutory body, Water Corporation of Anguilla, from 2009 until April 2024 when it was replaced by the Department of Water Services.
