The problems in the Pine which are now being brought to the fore have plagued that St Michael community for decades.
And Minister of the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey, himself a former resident, has advised Government to address the worrisome situation which led to the death of Kyrique Boyce last Thursday.
The 17-year-old died after the cover of a well on which he was standing collapsed, sending him spiralling 100 feet.
He was eventually rescued but passed away soon after at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
Speaking in Parliament this morning during debate on the Vesting and Disposal of lands at Colleton Plantation, St Lucy, to the National Housing Corporation (NHC), Humphrey said the issue of people falling into wells in the Pine was not new.
He said Boyce’s death was especially difficult for him because he knew the deceased’s family.
“I believe a lot of these large housing schemes were meant to tackle a housing problem without careful consideration to the other problems they may cause…and I believe in the last ten years those issues were compounded by a lack of maintenance, a lack of regard for the people who live in these areas…
“But the issues in the Pine are pervasive, perennial and persistent. I have known those problems in the Pine my whole life,” the Minister said.
“When I was a boy there was a lady who was skipping on a well in the Pine, the well collapsed under her weight. This is something I saw for myself, nobody didn’t tell me, and the men formed a human chain link and they went in the well and they pulled her out…the thought of it still irks me.”
Humphrey said Government could not merely wait for the situation to “blow over” but had to be speedy in dealing with the issues.
“I heard someone say that this is going to blow over because the Government is going to let it blow over, because that is what Governments do.
“But these issues in housing are of such significance that I do not believe that any right-thinking Government can let them blow over,” Humphrey maintained.
He explained that Government was now trying to do its best to rectify the dire situations it faced across all of the ministries, left by the former administration.
However, he said despite being left “a bad hand” the Mia Mottley-led administration was doing everything in its power to find solutions to these problems.
“The problem is that we inherited such a bad hand. We inherited a situation where you could pick any ministry in this country, you could pick almost any institution, any infrastructure and recognize that the state of the institution or the infrastructure is so terrible, as to be in jeopardy itself,” Humphrey said.
“We now find that whole situation across the country compounded by the fact that the Government inherited a situation where there was no money. So we now have to fix all of these things in the shortest possible timeframe with very limited resources.”
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Something should have been done about it ever since
They keep blaming the DLP for everything. Wells were also a problem during the previous BLP administration. Time to own up to your current responsibilities.
Wells issues decades including QEH and Geriatric Hospital. All wunna good for is modelling in Government and over looking pressing issue. Just deal with the matter before another tragic incident happens.
There we ago again. I hope Bajans see what’s going on here. The two way circus continues. Each time one of the parties are voted into power, the blame game is the ‘get out of jail free card.’ Bajans we need to abandon these two parties.
Blame game again…. These people fail to realize they are in power and it is they problem now… Fix the damn wells and leave out the stupid talk….
“We now find that whole situation across the country compounded by the fact that the Government inherited a situation where there was no money. So we now have to fix all of these things in the shortest possible timeframe with very limited resources.”
Such LIMITED resources Mr. Humphrey that one of the first things your Gov’t did was give ‘way millions to the biggest businesses in huge Corporation Tax cuts – including foreign businesses who take their profits overseas – and then another big Tax cut for high earning Professionals with fat fees and top executives earning over $6,000/month, but crumbs and a bus fare increase for working people?
It’s a question of priorities – who you think is important and who needs help. The big shot corporate donors and Private Sector got to decide where the “limited resources” went and now you complain about “limited resources” to safely maintain your tenants’ common areas?
And people there is more coming down the pipeline you haven’t heard about yet which will impoverish even more by removing the little extra income some are depending on. The big shots have it well planned to corner all the business for themselves and deny small entrepreneurs any chance to get a share of the pie. Keep your ears and eyes pealed.
If this Gov’t had made it a priority to discover what needed to be done to repair this country instead of rushing to implement economic policies designed to benefit the rich, this tragedy would not have happened.
“How many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?” “The Answer is Blowing in the Wind” – words written in the 1960’s by Bob Dylan during the Civil Rights era still apply today.
HOW MANY, Mr. Humphrey? Limited Resources?
I am sure that when government officials and the sitting MP toured the area of the wells before this tragedy, no DLP representatives were included. The BLP MP, Santia Bradshaw dropped the ball on this one, and is now trying to get out of jail with her blame game. Even Minister of Housing, George Payne has refuted her charges made during a good acting performance in Parliament yesterday. The only one that could top that performance by Santia, would be a male lawyer whom we witnessed with crocodile tears on tv and Facebook, just over a year ago. The blood of that 17-year-old is on BLP hands and feet.
Blame, blame, blame…we really need to get rid of these two parties but what is the alternative? The minister acting as if the BLP wasn’t in power too previously. Sigh
Time to stop referring to the last administration and do what needs to be done. I think the population is aware of what they did and did not do. It does not look good or sound professional to keep doing so.
WOW: A pack of actors performing at their best. Look BLP: Stop the bloody game blaming and get on with the job that is proving too difficult for you all. Each day you all are making the previous administration look real good. I live in the ST Michael South East constituency. Both the BLP and the DLP has to take blame for the present state of the wells BUT more so the Owen’s administration. Why?. Because he had a lot of “wattles” paper money to spend and he spent it foolishly.
Rubbish Mr. Humphrey!!
“The problem is that we inherited such a bad hand”………The DLP inherited a bad hand as well with $9mil in debt and a recession and did a good job trying to keep this country’s head above water did not default on Int. debt.
…and I believe in the last ten years those issues were compounded by a lack of maintenance, a lack of regard for the people who live in these areas……….As I said before, blaming the Last administration does not solve problems and makes you look so lame.
“We now find that whole situation across the country compounded by the fact that the Government inherited a situation where there was no money……..But yet we could find money for $85000 a month for White Oak, Consultants, Advisors and now money for the Waterford Garden Project.
Stop the blame game, the fact is the ppl were calling for some assistance on that well for months and the only feed back they got is a walk through from Government officials and that was it, nothing else was done about if, someone had to die to get your attention!
Time to stop this blame game sh***. Were these concerns not around far more than 10 years? Time to stop making everything political. Time to get to work and fix some of these problems. Also time to educate the people about standing or walking on wells or even man holes. Even the slabs on the open gutters does cave in when you step on them.
Slack voters breeding criminally inept politicians.
—> Also time to educate the people about standing or walking on wells or even man holes.<—
When I was a boy living in the country, long before there was anything call the internet, this was drilled into children's head daily. Those were the days when children used to play outdoors.
Oh yeah BLP waiting for it to blow over just like everything else,Bajans got short memories she that’s a good strategy.
Georgie Porgie seemed to have a very convenient memory. He has obviously forgotten that he contributed massively to the demise of NHC. Well Georgie I haven’t forgotten the Al Barack fiasco!!!!
Decades old yet government still liable… soooo…. what he getting at? Lock up all the ministers past and present?
The circus continues pass the scotch five years from now I will blame everybody!!!!
Oh the last ten years, oh the last ten years every body sing Oh the last ten years, Oh the last ten year if you have a concern don’t come to me cause it was the last ten years.
i guess u could write a calypso entitled “the lost decade” or “the last ten years” smh