The umbrella Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations (CTUSAB) today joined the chorus of calls for a speedy resolution to the south coast sewage mess.
While raising concern about its impact on job security as well as national productivity, CTUSAB cautioned that there was need for an urgent fix.
“It is the Congress’ view that should the problem of the sewage spills and pollution of the environment on the south coast remain unresolved, this will continue to result in the layoff of workers. Further, it will also lead to some employees experiencing a reduction of their take-home pay as a direct consequence of reduced hours of work.
“Given that the prevailing environmental issues can pose a threat to the health of residents and workers, as well as contribute to reduced levels of worker productivity, CTUSAB urges the authorities to continue to work aggressively, towards finding a long term solution to the south coast sewage problem,” the Congress said in a statement released by its General Secretary Dennis De Peiza.
At the same time, it called attention to the “tireless and relentless” efforts of employees of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), the Ministry of Health and other public sector agencies to alleviate the suffering and inconvenience caused by the effluent spills and emanating odours that have been the subject of recent tourism advisories issued by the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Germany.
In light of the negative international press the island has been getting on account of the sewage spills, the Congress also said it understood the severity of the impact which the crisis had on south coast businesses which have suffered a substantial loss of revenue.
Just recently, BWA General Manager Keithroy Halliday told Barbados TODAY that the dye test results were back from overseas and had confirmed what the local engineers had in mind for the digging of injection wells.
Halliday said that with the approval of the stakeholders, including Cabinet, the BWA would be pushing ahead with putting the wells into operation for the safe disposal of the sewage.
He also assured that this measure, though temporary, would ease the constant overflows and allow the water works company to repair breaches.
However, both the BWA and the Ministry of Water Resource Management have admitted that the construction of a tertiary sewage plant would be necessary in the long term with Government currently in discussion with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other financial institutions to fund its construction.
T’was a really good idea to hook-up Sandals thousand-plus toilets, to a severely-compromised sewerage network.
Who’s to blame? Nobody.
Who will be disciplined? No-one.
How much will it cost to fix/replace? Zillions.
Who will eventually repay the inevitable humungus loan to put in a “tertiary” plant? You; your children; your grand-children, and possibly your great-grands.
Why is the Irrelevant Minister and His Environmental buddy so silent these days? They have a sore throat; gastro (like me); plus Parliament dead so dem cud just slither away quietly.
Will we learn from our mistakes under similar, future infrastructural circumstances? Nex’ foolish question, please.
1. Once again, spot on @Tony Webster. And all the time the much need taxes which should have gone to the Treasury and would to pay for rectification are of course being sent abroad.
2. Sadly, it seems we will never learn. I cry for my little Island.
CTUSAB trying to make itself relevant.
any update on the poop wells that have been drilled into ground?
I ask “barbados today” not to let a day go by where “barbados today” does not demand updated comments on how the situation in the South sewage.
as elections approch, this is what todays powers to be, will do their best to keep out of the news.
but this is what we pay them for!!!
need answers every day.