Cash boost for ‘ending rural water woes’

Government has agreed to pump just over 23 million dollars into the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) in a bid to end water outages across several communities around the island, Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources Charles Griffith has told Parliament.

Griffith, the MP for St John, among eastern and northern rural parishes most heavily affected, declared that Government was well aware of the shortages plaguing several areas on the island for some time now, with the present administration still in the process of tackling the issue head-on.

He said: “There are several constituencies, not excluding mine, that [are] impacted by the water situation in this country. This supplementary of $28,826,987 is being sought to alleviate the problems in several of those same constituencies if not all in due course.

“This Government is a caring government – the fact that we are now supplying this additional money, to supplement what is there to augment the water situation in this country, is clearly an indication of what is happening.”

Griffith also said that in the past, millions of dollars had not been used wisely at the BWA. But he declared the board and its workers were committed now more than ever, to rectifying a dire situation facing many households, who for some time now have not had a consistent water supply.

He explained: “This particular funding is supposed to facilitate seven major projects and the Barbados Water Authority – we are looking at a [desalination plant] at Colleton, St. Lucy [and] in Mullins in St. Peter.

“We are looking at finalizing the situation of the Vineyard project that is bringing water from Vineyard [Reservoir in St Philip] to make sure there is water in the eastern corridor, which is my constituency, St. Joseph, part of St. Andrew and St. Peter, is happening.”

The funds earmarked for the BWA are also intended to correct high levels of water wastage caused by broken pipes and mains throughout the island’s water system.

He further told the House: “One of the things that we have found in the BWA, is that we are actually losing 40 per cent of the water. We call it non-revenue water because of the poor mains that are in place. This is one of the things that impact us – 40 per cent of the water that we are pushing through the mains [is] actually going into the ground and it is a major problem.

“One of the things that we need to do soonest is to make sure that we too embark on a major mains replacing programme in those areas that are being impacted.”

Declaring that resources and manpower have been limited for some time now at the water utility, Griffith assured that the situation was currently being addressed in an effort to relieve Barbadians who have been adversely affected. (SB)