Leakages share blame for water shortage

Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer has attributed recent water outages in several Tortola communities partly to multiple leakages caused by ageing infrastructure and increased pressure on the distribution network.

Rymer provided the update alongside Acting Water and Sewerage Department Director Von Alphonso while workers repaired a ruptured main line near the Delta gas station at Pasea Estate over the weekend.

The minister said the department discovered four leaks while investigating complaints from residents in Pasea Estate, Jennings Hill, Fort Hill and surrounding communities.

“This is a major main line that has ruptured and we’ve just located where it was damaged and we are now working to repair it,” Rymer stated.

He said the damaged line affected distribution from Pasea Estate into Road Town and nearby areas. Workers planned to address the remaining leaks after completing the critical repair.

Rymer said drought conditions had increased demand for water, while the additional pressure on the ageing network had contributed to further breakages. He explained that locating leaks could prove difficult because the point where water surfaces does not always identify the damaged section of the underground pipe.

The minister also reported a damaged line at Nottingham Estate, where the government was working with the contractor responsible. He said workers had identified separate leaks at Jennings Hill and Fort Hill and were investigating low pressure at higher elevations in Huntums Ghut.

“We understand your cries. We understand your concerns. I’ve been getting the calls, and we are trying to respond as efficiently as possible to all the water challenges that we are facing,” Rymer stated.

Alphonso said the Pasea Estate line received priority because it supplied the larger Road Town area. The team planned to move next to Fort Hill and Jennings Hill.

“But bear with us, be patient. We’ll try our best to restore the water before the end of the day in all three areas and wherever else, whatever other areas that are affected,” Alphonso stated.

The government has previously identified deteriorating pipelines and limited emergency-response personnel as major causes of persistent water interruptions. In 2025, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said the territory produced enough water for continuous supply but lost reliability because of an old, leaking distribution network. A complete overhaul, including pipe replacement, equipment upgrades and meters, was estimated at $20 million.

Amid the outages, Nanny Cay has continued providing free drinking water to the public. On July 9, the company announced that it had upgraded its system with three-stage heavy-metal-reducing filtration and ultraviolet purification. The company said the water remained available free of charge, while community reports said the company had opened additional collection stations.