Published 21 March 2018
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
By: Media Source
Several communities will be without water as nations celebrate World Water Day, Wednesday
St. Peter’s, St. Kitts, March 21, 2018 – As the international community celebrates World Water Day on Thursday, March 22, many communities in St. Kitts will be without adequate supply of water.
“Who would have thought that in the 21st century when there is technology to allow drilling for water to be accessed from underground, our people in St. Kitts are bathing out of buckets of water and some persons cannot have a proper bath,” said Dr. Terrance Drew at a St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Town Hall Meeting at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church Hall on Tuesday night.
He said several areas affected are St. Peter’s, Shadwell, New Road, Gillard’s, Pine Gardens, Basseterre, Bird Rock, Half Moon and the South East Peninsula where rationing has been instituted by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
“Last Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the residents of St. Peter’s were without water. They could not bathe to go to church, wash their clothes, cook or prepare to go to work the following day,” said Dr. Drew, who pointed out that the water problems are mainly due to the incompetence and greed of the Minister responsible for water on St. Kitts, Hon. Ian Patches Liburd.
He informed that the SKNLP on leaving office in February 2015, had in place a water drilling project with BEAD – Bedrock Exploration and Management.
“Any excuse that water rationing is as a result of drought conditions is not an excuse as after the elections, the new Team Unity Government of Timothy Harris and water minister Ian Patches Liburd, stopped BEAD from continuing the exploration project and brought in a new company called Ocean Earth Technologies,” said Drew, who forcefully asserted that the water problem in St. Kitts is a manmade problem as there is enough water underground to supply consumers for years.
The BEAD contract would have provided an additional 2.5 million gallons of potable water daily during the drought period.
Dr. Drew said a prominent member of the Cayon community has substantial investment of over EC$1 million in the BEAD project.
“Two wells had been drilled and yielded water and all that needs to be done is connect the wells to the main water source,” Dr. Drew told the town hall meeting.
Lennox Liburd, a staunch supporter of the Peoples Action Movement/Team Unity Government has publicly accused Minister Liburd of being responsible “for the unfortunate situation where residents in a number of areas suffer from an adequate supply of potable water.”
Liburd stated that after three years of the Team Unity Government, the wells that BEAD found cannot be connected to the St. Kitts water system as a result of a dispute between BEAD, Minister Liburd and Ocean Earth Technologies.
File Photo – Dr. Terrance Drew
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