St Lucy politico calls for proof tap water is safe

Residents in St Lucy have demanded clear proof that their water is safe to drink, said a political hopeful on Tuesday, accusing the Barbados Water Authority of offering reassurance without delivering the transparency needed to rebuild public trust.

Wayne Griffith, United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate for St Lucy, called for community-level testing — saying that people in the north continue to live in “a state of uncertainty and expense” over the quality of what flows from their taps.

He was responding to a BWA press conference in which BWA acting Chief Executive Officer Christopher Mapp sought to reassure the public that water being distributed from the Allendale Pumping Station is safe to drink. “All indications show that the water is potable,” Mapp said, adding, “Would I feel comfortable drinking it? Yes.”

But according to Griffth, such assurances have done little to ease concern. While the BWA’s tests at Allendale show safe results, “customers do not collect water directly from Allendale”, and so those results fail to reflect what people are actually experiencing at home, he said.

“The only consistent water source for many residents is the supermarket shelf,” he said, adding that households are spending hundreds of dollars each month buying bottled water on top of their regular water bills. “We urge the BWA to release test results from households in places like Hope Road, Maycocks, Pie Corner, or Checker Hall.”

Griffith also pointed to the age of the island’s water distribution system — with some mains over a century old being replaced at a cost of roughly one million dollars per kilometre — as a likely reason for the discoloured and foul-smelling water that many in the north continue to report. “These old pipes are prone to rust and corrosion. Until they’re replaced, we can’t accept the claim that the water is safe simply because the source tests clean.”

He stressed that residents’ expectations are simple: “Safe water must meet three fundamental criteria: colourless, odourless, and tasteless. Without these criteria being met, we remain unconvinced that our tap water is fit for human consumption.”

The UPP candidate insisted that residents have lost confidence in the system. “I can assure you that in St Lucy, we’re not consuming tap water that’s discoloured or foul-smelling,” he said firmly. “We are against paying the monthly garbage and sewage contribution levy, and the $32 monthly rebate.”

Griffith said that while science and testing are important, public trust must be earned through transparency and tangible results. “Regardless of the scientific assessment which the BWA presents, we will neither accept them as gospel nor be drinking the water until these critical quality issues are addressed at the point of consumption.” (LE)