Update: Residents report worsened utility services

Minister of Communication and Works Mark Vanterpool has apologized for what he described as the “extended power outage” that affected residents across the British Virgin Islands today, March 20.

In relation to the outage that lasted up to six hours in some areas, Vanterpool said: “The BVI Electricity Department reported that, at approximately 12:06pm, we suffered a total system shutdown. The team moved quickly to investigate the cause of the outage, and I am pleased to report that power is now being restored in phases.”

“Generator #2 at Pockwood Pond was started at 3:51 pm. Power in Pockwood Pond East was on at 4:15pm and Pockwood Pond West was on at 4:20pm. We are expecting power to be restored to the entire territory very shortly,” Vanterpool said.

He continued: “The government of the Virgin Islands, the Ministry of Communications and Works, and the BVI Electricity Corporation apologize for any inconvenience caused. We continue work on the Power Development Programme to upgrade our generating capacity, and crave your patience during this process.”

The BVI Electricity Corporation, in the meantime, said it is still investigating the system-wide shutdown.

Before Government announced the interruption today, some residents of Tortola told BVI News Online that they have been experiencing intermittent power outages since late last week, adding that the outage sometimes last for a few minutes and sometimes for hours.

Water

Meanwhile, persons in the Sea Cows Bay area also complained that their water problems have deteriorated significantly.

“When the present head of Water and Sewage was away, we used to have water almost all day. But all that change – gone back to square one again,” one woman told BVI News Online, reflecting the opinion shared by others around her.