Amid a crippling rainfall deficit that has strained regional water supplies, a top Saint Lucian government official has issued a sharp public warning about intentional tampering with critical water systems, stressing that such criminal acts harm local residents rather than the state.
Keithson Charles, the Member of Parliament for Choiseul/Saltibus and the country’s Minister for Public Utilities, made the statement following an official incident report from the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), which confirmed that an unknown actor deliberately manipulated a key supply valve serving the Delcer Treatment Plant located in Choiseul. The illegal interference cut the flow of water entering the treatment facility, worsening already tight water access for the region.
Charles shared the details of the incident and his warning in an official post on his public Facebook page, emphasizing that acts of sabotage against public utilities do not target government entities — they hurt the people who rely on those services every day. “When you tamper with our utility infrastructure, you are not hurting the government – you are hurting your own neighbours, your own farmers, and your own community,” he wrote.
The minister confirmed that WASCO crews were able to locate the tampered valve and repair the damage to restore the plant to full operating capacity. Even so, he stressed that the unauthorized interference is far from a minor offense: “This kind of unauthorized interference is a criminal offense, and an investigation is actively underway.”
The incident comes at a particularly vulnerable time for the southern region of Saint Lucia, which is currently grappling with an extreme 45% deficit in seasonal rainfall. With rivers already running at historically low levels, any disruption to water treatment operations has an immediate, outsized impact on local communities that depend on the plant for potable water.
To help residents cope with the ongoing dry conditions, Charles urged the public to prioritize rainwater harvesting, noting that the national government has already taken steps to ease the cost of water storage by removing value-added tax (VAT) on residential water tanks. He called for collective responsibility in protecting regional water resources.
“Let us conserve our potable water for essential use, utilize harvested rainwater where possible, and act as our brother’s keeper by protecting our infrastructure,” Charles urged.
WASCO had previously confirmed that it launched the probe into the tampering incident, which took place in the Unionville neighborhood of Delcer. The company also reminded the general public that intentional damage to or tampering with public water infrastructure is explicitly classified as a criminal offense under Section 90 of the country’s Water and Sewerage Act, meaning perpetrators can face legal penalties for their actions.