NEGRIL, Westmoreland – Amid the water crisis in Westmoreland, the health department will be clamping down on illegal water truck operators who are found to be trucking the commodity without a food handler’s permit and a sanitising certificate.

Chief Public Health Inspector Steve Morris told Observer Online that only 14 truck drivers have been certified to truck water across the parish.

“All the truckers [should be] trained. We do a special training for them and they get a food handler’s permit and they also have to get the truck sterilised,” Morris said.

He said training is underway to certify truckers.

However, business seems to be booming in that industry as the parish is not short on water trucks and operators who, he said, are charging over $40,000 for a truck load of the scarce commodity.

Morris further announced that a meeting will be convened to discuss the price regulation of water being sold by truckers.

What is alarming, he revealed, are the allegations that the truck operators are fishing water from areas that are not certified loading bases such as the sea, river [Cabarita] amongst other places.

Observer Online understands that many residents and hotel owners are worried-sick as they fear water-borne illnesses such as Gastroenteritis, as the water would be unchlorinated and untreated.

Morris cautioned residents and hoteliers alike to request a receipt from these truckers which will indicate where they sourced the water before making purchase.

“Make sure you’re getting good quality water. So your responsibility is to ensure that they have their certificates and also request from them the receipt that they get from the landing base,” he warned.

“We do not want them to go to any springs or rivers and get water and take to you and you drink it and something happens to you. We know that the situation is dire and you have to have water but we just want to ensure that it is safe,” he reasoned.

Morris identified the three loading bases in the parish that water truck operators should be sourcing their water to sell.

“In regards to the loading base. There is one in Petersfield that is certified by us. The second one is in Spring Gardens and the third one is in Bullstrod,” he pointed.

Meanwhile, senior strategist in the Ministry of Tourism Delano Seiveright is appealing to residents who have information on illegal trucking of water to report it so the authorities can act.

“The NWC and Minister Matthew Samuda are aware of these reports and we have asked people to come with the evidence. If you have evidence that in fact there are irregular activities taking place as it relates to these water trucks, we need to know!” Seiveright stressed.

– Kimberley Peddie