An aging plant, power outages, unavailability of replacement parts and a failed deal with a contractor are some of the issues contributing to the problems that have left Sweetings Cay residents with access to less than half their normal supply of water, according to officials.

East Grand Bahama Member of Parliament Kwasi Thompson said the residents have had access to running water for only one hour a day.

"Water is essential for life," Thompson said.

"Residents need it to drink, cook, bathe, and flush toilets. No Bahamian should be forced to live under these circumstances."

He said he has been actively pushing for help for the residents.

"I have spoken to Sylvanus Petty (Water and Sewerage Corporation executive chairman) and (WSC) Abaco Manager Mr. (Tony) Scriven," Cooper said.

"Both have committed to swift action, and we await their action."

Sweetings Cay Township Councilor Basil Tate said faults in the water system were occurring from early 2022.

"Our plant is almost 20 years old," Tate said.

"Once in a while, something would break down on it. We've been having off-and-on challenges, but this weekend and the weekend before were the worst."

He said this is the longest the water plant has malfunctioned.

"The plant stopped producing the amount of water it used to," Tate said.

"It normally used to produce 4.5 gallons a minute. The plant now is only producing one to two gallons a minute, plus we have two major leaks."

He said residents are trying their best to ration what they can.

"When we're running short on water, I let them know, but a lot of people don't have enough things to fill up to sustain themselves for a 24-hour period," Tate said.

WSC Assistant General Manager for the Family Islands Division Gregory Stubbs said the plant's issues are being addressed, but explained that there are elements hindering the corporation's progress.

"There were some parts that have failed that we're having a difficult time sourcing," Stubbs said.

"We cannot pump continuously as we'll run out of water quickly. Our regime was to provide water for one to two hours in the mornings and provide water in the afternoons.

"However, at one point, we had to reduce it to one hour morning and night."

Stubbs noted that in 2021, Samaritan's Purse and CORE, two non-governmental organizations, donated a new reverse osmosis system and four water storage tanks, but installation was delayed.

"The problem with that plant (the reverse osmosis system) is it requires three-phase electrical power," he said.

"Grand Bahama Power company only provides single-phase electrical power to Sweetings Cay, so we're unable to put it in service."

Single-phase electrical power is utilized for residential areas while three-phase is used to supply industrial plants.

Concerning the storage tanks, Stubbs said another contractor was expected to install the storage tanks but failed to follow through.

Stubbs said negotiators are underway with a new contractor to convert the new reverse osmosis system to single-phase and install the storage tanks.

However, there is no certainty as to when a contract will be finalized.

Sweetings Cay resident Zelma Tate said she is happy to see that residents' "cries for help" are being addressed but noted that the response has been slow and residents have been growing impatient.

"It's really a wait and see, but, in Sweetings Cay, we are not permitted to sit idly by and act like things are good when it's actually not," Tate said.

She said the residents feel a disconnect between the cay and Grand Bahama and wishes Bahamians to pay attention to other settlements around them.

"You need water for everything," Tate said.

"We need people to know that we still live in Sweetings Cay, even after Hurricane Dorian. This is home; it's all we know."

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