Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas on Friday acknowledged widespread public frustration over water disruptions, while pushing back against criticism he said often ignores the technical realities behind service delivery.
“When people don’t get water, they’re not concerned with the details,” Nicholas said during remarks at the commissioning of the Barnacle Point reverse osmosis water plant. “They’re just concerned that they have a punching bag to beat upon“.
Nicholas said the intensity of public reaction reflects how essential water is to daily life, but noted that public discourse — particularly in the media — often overlooks the complexity of restoring a system weakened by decades of underinvestment and aging infrastructure.
He said that while water production has now reached levels capable of meeting national demand, lingering outages in some communities are largely the result of transmission and distribution problems rather than a lack of supply.
The minister said that reality places constant pressure on the Antigua Public Utilities Authority, whose leadership must respond not only to operational challenges but also to public scrutiny.
“When I go to Cabinet and people don’t have water, they’re not concerned with the details,” Nicholas said. “They’re just concerned that they have a punching bag to beat upon“.
Nicholas said managing public expectations remains one of the most difficult aspects of reform, particularly as major infrastructure upgrades take time to complete. He said criticism often intensifies during transitional periods, even when measurable progress is being made.
He pointed to the commissioning of the Barnacle Point plant — which adds two million imperial gallons per day — and the earlier Fryes Beach facility as evidence that production challenges are being addressed through the partnership between APUA and Seven Seas Water Group.
Nicholas said the next phase will focus on modernizing distribution through automation and large-scale pipeline replacement, which he acknowledged will not produce instant results but is necessary to deliver consistent service islandwide.
“We have sufficient water now in the system,” he said, adding that remaining complaints are “a function of the imperfect transmission and distribution system“.
He said the government’s task is to continue advancing infrastructure improvements while communicating clearly with the public about what has been achieved and what work remains, warning that progress should not be dismissed simply because the transition is incomplete.