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Buenos Ayres residents are calling on the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) to remove the remains of a giant water tank which has been vandalised for years by unscrupulous scrap iron dealers.
Nestled atop a picturesque hilltop just off the Main Road in Erin, the tank is mostly hidden from passers-by and had been mostly forgotten by residents when pipeborne water was introduced to the community several years ago.
It was not until the scrap iron trade began to flourish some years ago in the quiet community, that residents first began to notice that pieces of the tank were missing.
Now, most of the bottom of the tank has been cut away by blow torches, leaving it supported on four small pieces of its siding.
The area around the tank has also become a dumping site, with fridges, freezers and television sets marring the natural beauty around it.
Resident Roshan Sahadeo told the T&T Guardian the tank had been the target of the thieves for a number of years.
“They keep cutting away pieces of the tank. Ever so often villagers would go up on the hill and notice a little more of it gone,” Sahadeo said.
“About two years ago there were blowtorches and gas bottles discovered hidden in the bushes around the tank, but I don’t think anyone was ever arrested for that.”
He said although there had been a consensus in the area that people should stay away from the site, he hoped WASA would intervene and remove it altogether to thwart the thieves and ensure the safety of nearby residents.
“Everyone in the village knows it is not to go up there, you never know who you could meet doing what up there. It used to be a quarry and there was a gate blocking off the entrance, but someone broke it down
“Sometimes, though, children go up there to explore or play and you never know what could happen if that tank decide to collapse one day.”
He said villagers had noticed strange vehicles driving up to the tank on many occasions and he believed those were the persons responsible for vandalising the tank, as well as dumping waste.
“It has to be that they go up there to dump things, those are not vehicles from the area. We want WASA to come and take down the rest of the tank and secure the area so people can’t be doing all of these things in our village.”
The T&T Guardian reached out to WASA Communications Manager Daniel Plenty who promised to investigate the matter.
