An additional desalination plant became operational on Wednesday following maintenance and produced approximately 25,000 gallons of water before experiencing a mechanical failure on Thursday. The affected part is being taken to Sint Maarten for repair, with production expected to resume once repairs are completed.
Looking beyond the immediate shortage, Public Entity supports AquaSab’s ongoing expansion of its production capacity and will invest in an additional desalination plant capable of producing more than 6 cubic meters per hour or approximately 38,000 gallons over 24 hours. The plant has an estimated lead time of about five months and is intended to provide Saba with additional production capacity and redundancy.
Starting next week, water requests and deliveries will also move to a centralized system. A webpage and central phone number, accessible through WhatsApp, will provide one point for all water requests. This will allow requests to be coordinated across the island and prioritized based on urgency and the date received, with priority given to households without water, those at immediate risk of running out, and vulnerable residents requiring additional assistance. Once the system is in place, all requests for water deliveries must be made through the centralized system, and orders will no longer be placed directly with individual truck drivers.
“This situation has our full attention. We are working every day to stabilize the immediate situation, while continuing the investments and improvements necessary to strengthen Saba’s water system for the future,” said Commissioner Bruce Zagers.
Details on the new water request system will be shared with the community in the coming days. Residents are asked to continue conserving water, and where they have sufficient water available, to consider delaying non-urgent requests while the current pressure on supply continues.
