Abattoir’s cistern undergoing maintenance — Agriculture Director

The Agriculture Department has moved to repair a faulty cistern at the Paraquita Bay abattoir after water shortages forced a halt in operations, affecting farmers’ ability to supply meat to the market.

The news comes in the wake of reports that the abbatoir has not been receiving running water for several weeks and was forced to close its doors to livestock farmers in the territory.

Director of Agriculture Theodore James said he became aware earlier this week that the facility had no water and immediately sought answers from the relevant authorities.

“I received information on Monday of this week that there was no water at the abattoir, and immediately I inquired from the Water and Sewage Department as to why there was no water in Paraquita Bay,” James explained.

He noted that the initial issue stemmed from a broken pipe in the area. However, further checks revealed that the abattoir’s own water storage system had also been compromised.

“Upon the depletion of water with our reserve, we realised that we also had issues with our capacity to retain water,” James stated.

The cistern, which stores water for facility operations, was found to have a leak. Repairs were initiated immediately after the issue was identified.

“Right now, as of today, we do have the contractor who’s finishing the repairs on the cistern,” James stated. .

According to James, the goal is to ensure that once the water supply is restored to the area, the facility will be better equipped to store and retain it.

He indicated that water should be restored to the cistern by the end of the week, allowing operations at the abattoir to resume shortly after.

“Hopefully, by Friday, we will have water in the cistern ready to go for operations come Monday, Tuesday next week,” James stated.

The abattoir is a key part of the territory’s local food supply chain, supporting farmers in meeting demand from supermarkets and other outlets.