(Trinidad Guardian) The beleaguered Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has launched a full-scale investigation into the dereliction of duty by two managers which has resulted in the authority purchasing some $7.7 million worth of chemicals, some of which WASA no longer uses to treat its water. The unnecessary purchase of large quantities of chemicals has also left the authority with hundreds of thousands of dollars in expired products on its hands.
A report compiled by WASA’s Internal Audit and Compliance Department (IACD) advised that WASA obtain explanations and relevant supporting documentation from the managers for 36,287 kilograms of the chemical sequestrant ordered at a cost of $980,837.61 for sites no longer utilising the chemical and correspondence used to execute orders for 32,619 kilograms of chemicals valued at $881,691.57 which was received after the expiration of the contract.
IACD also recommended that based on explanations received the managers are “held accountable for failing to implement controls,” as well as “ordering the sequestrant after the contract extension period of April 8, 2020 and obtaining Tender Committee approval to ratify the delivery” after the contract extension date.
A sequestering agent, which offers scale and corrosion control, is added to WASA’s water before distribution.
WASA listed on its website: aluminium sulphate, chlorine, chlorine gas, calcium hydroxide, lime (calcium oxide) and poly aluminium chloride as some of the chemicals used to treat its water.
The managers are being probed for failing to manage the authority’s procurement process and inventory system.
The report compiled by IACD found that the managers allegedly misled the authority’s Tender Committee and its board by providing erroneous information which led to WASA incurring millions of dollars in losses.
WASA’s chairman Ravindra Nanga questioned about the managers allegedly misleading WASA’s board and tender committee which led the authority to purchase $7.7 million in chemicals, said “the board would have been told that we require these chemicals and when we looked, we may not have required that amount.
“And they would have done that on seven occasions, when in fact we had chemicals in stock and there was no need to buy these chemicals to the value of $7.7 million.
“We simply did not know how much (chemicals) we had.”
Based on preliminary information, Nanga said, it appeared that all the chemicals ordered were not needed.
“That is what the audit picked up. Had there been proper controls, you would not have had chemicals expiring.”
He said “At this stage, we are looking to see whether we recover from any source. That $7.7 million we have not verified that figure… whether or not that is the figure that was eventually lost.”
WASA is currently conducting an audit of chemicals purchased.
