Ruptured pipeline at new $280M building Health Ministry workers evacuated

A massive leak that led to flooding on three floors of the new Ministry of Health building in Port-of-Spain, yesterday caused a major disruption in its operations and forced the evacuation of employees.

Videos that went viral on social media showed the magnitude of the situation. Employees recorded water cascading from the upper floors into the lobby area of the building, as well as water-soaked carpets and water gushing up through air vents on some floors.

One of the major contractors for the building, NH International (Caribbean) Limited, subsequently blamed the issue on the rupture of a major four-inch pipeline on the third floor of the seven-floor building located at Jerningham Avenue and Queen’s Park Savannah.

In a media release, NH International said reports indicated that the flooding began at around 6.45 am due to a damaged four-inch water line in the female bathroom on the third floor.

“The ministry’s staff was evacuated from the building and its doors were closed to the public as repair work was being carried out,” the release added.

The flood affected the northern side of the building’s third, second, first and ground floors.

In addressing the several videos that went viral on social media, NH said it was aware of it and that “the quantity of water may look excessive, but this is to be expected due to the size of the mains that blew.”

It said NH’s facilities management team followed procedures, immediately switched off the electrical supply and closed the floor valve in less than ten minutes of the leak occurring.

As of 1 pm yesterday, NH confirmed that the water line had been repaired and no other incidents were reported. It said clean-up activities would continue into today, a public holiday in recognition of Labour Day, in the hope that the building will be fully operational for normal opening hours tomorrow.

Contacted on the incident yesterday, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh declined to comment.

The building was officially opened on August 7, 2023 and the ribbon was cut by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

The project was executed via a Build-Own-Lease-Transfer (BOLT) contract between the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago and Asclepius Holdings Limited (a company owned by Republic Bank and NH International Caribbean Limited).

The building and associated carpark cost $280 million and Government is paying a lease rental of $31.32 million a year over the 15-year life of the BOLT arrangement. This means the Government, through UDeCOTT, will be paying $471.3 million over the period before it can acquire the property title.

Questions sent to UDeCOTT, who were the project managers for the building, went unanswered yesterday.

However, shadow minister of housing and urban development Roodal Moonilal labelled the incident a “UDeCOTT scandal” and called on Prime Minister Rowley to explain “how the $280 million Ministry of Health headquarters has been flooded out mere months after its completion and fanfare opening.”

In a release, Moonilal said he raised serious questions about the model used for the project and associated governance issues.

“The flooding mess is another disaster by UDeCOTT, which has presided over major construction problems at the Red House, the Central Block of Port-of-Spain General Hospital, and other public projects,” Moonilal said.

“The UDeCOTT fiascos have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of precious dollars.

This latest scandal is a further glaring indictment on UDeCOTT’s chairman Noel Garcia, whose previous tenure under the Patrick Manning administration was equally disgraceful.”

He said apart from the alleged poor construction and waste, the corporation has also been “reckless and irresponsible with the public’s purse.”

“Taxpayers will recall that when he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Enterprises Committee last November, Mr Noel could not properly account for millions of dollars with respect to mega projects. This is the same state enterprise which misspent billions of dollars a decade and a half ago, leading to the appointment of the Uff Commission of Enquiry,” Moonilal said.

“The commission’s 91 far-reaching recommendations were implemented by the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government.

“The corporation’s debacles of that era included an increased construction cost of Brian Lara Cricket Academy from $250 million to $1.25 billion.”

He added, “The Ministry of Health disgrace is an indication that under the PNM, UDeCOTT is continuing its poor project management, callous misuse of funds and blatant squandermania. Rowley must provide a proper explanation to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

—With reporting by Rhondor Dowlat