A fourth reverse osmosis plant at Ffryes is expected to begin operating within six weeks, adding another 400,000 imperial gallons of water per day to Antigua and Barbuda’s distribution system.

Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant made the announcement during the post-Cabinet media briefing as the Antigua Public Utilities Authority continues efforts to increase production during the prolonged drought.

“Within the coming six weeks, another reverse osmosis plant—that is the fourth reverse osmosis plant—will come online at the Ffryes facility,” Merchant said.

He said the additional plant would help APUA respond to the country’s continuing water shortage and distribution challenges.

The new capacity is particularly important as the drought reduces the amount of surface water available to the authority. APUA recently reported that total water production had fallen from approximately 11 million imperial gallons per day to nine million gallons—a daily reduction of about two million gallons.

The authority has therefore become increasingly dependent on reverse osmosis plants to meet national demand.

Merchant initially referred to the new unit as the third plant at Ffryes but immediately corrected the statement, confirming that it would be the facility’s fourth reverse osmosis plant.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: New Ffryes Reverse Osmosis Plant to Add 400,000 Gallons Daily Within Six Weeks.