Politics in water distribution, claims former candidate

Three-time Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for St Joseph Randall Rouse is claiming that there is some level of political interference in the distribution of water in that parish which is currently experiencing severe water shortages.

Rouse told Barbados TODAY that he has soundproof that there are cases where selected households have received water from Barbados Water Authority (BWA) tankers because of their political allegiance while others in the neighbourhood have not.

However, Member of Parliament for St Joseph Attorney General Dale Marshall has dismissed Rouse’s claims and indicated that he has never heard a more “asinine” thing during his political career from a potential candidate.

“That is completely absurd. It really is a totally nonsensical comment to make,” Marshall responded.

Rouse alleged that sometime this week when a water tanker visited a particular area in St Joseph, a political operative was directing the driver regarding which houses to stop at.

“Day before all the community tanks in St Joseph were empty. A tanker came into St Joseph and only delivered water to selected households.
I think that was very wrong. The community tanks were there and the first thing they should have done is to fill the community tanks.

“And I have it on good authority that it happened in two distinct areas and that tanker was directed by an individual. I don’t know who directed the tanker to come to St Joseph, but I do know that it is a political operative that was directing the driver and I know that the houses that that director pointed out were persons of political persuasion,” Rouse said.

Calling for an overall remedy to the water woes in St Joseph, the businessman who ran as an independent candidate in St Joseph in the 2018 general elections, said this approach should be nipped in the bud immediately.

Rouse said such actions have the potential to lead to disruptions in communities as neighbours who did not receive water from the tankers would be aggrieved.

“From my standpoint, if it happened once, it would happen again if it isn’t nipped in the bud. I think that the Barbados Water Authority has to make certain that the tankers that are sent to areas that they produce the water the way that they should and not be selective. This morning my phone was ringing at 5 o’clock in relation to the same water,” he said.

Meanwhile, Marshall said the water challenges in St Joseph were being triggered by low reservoirs, according to BWA. He noted that there should not be any talks at this time about people’s ability to access water because of their political stripes.

The representative said water has never been distributed in Barbados based on political affiliation.

“A tanker comes into the community and people come out to get water. That is absolute nonsense. Water tankers come into the community and they serve everybody who comes. It is not a comment that at a time when people are having a difficult time getting the water that people should be throwing out there to create mischief where there is absolutely none.

“I can tell that after 7 o’clock last night [Thursday] water authority tankers were on the road in St Joseph trying to distribute water. So it is not like they have not been trying, but the need is so great,” the AG said.
(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)