No time for political games
The water woes which Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean have been experiencing over the last year have absolutely nothing to do with politics. It is really a sad affair when experienced politicians would want to turn what really is a crisis situation into a platform to score cheap political points.
When persons are making comments such as, “I don’t believe that Barbados having a drought. It’s politics and bare purpose work and we sick of it,” we know that the charade and shenanigans have gone too far and this over politicizing need to stop.
Leave it to Ms. Mottley to play politics with this water situation.
For as long as her shenanigans were able to run without counter commentary, never did Ms. Mottley offer a workable solution which would help those affected residents to receive water through their taps. Never did she offer a workable solution which would immediately ameliorate the circumstances faced by the residents of St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Andrew and parts of St. John. Never did she say what could have been done to prevent what really was a bad situation from getting worse. If Ms. Mottley was on a genuine pilgrimage to bring about effective change, she would have led from the front by articulating these things.
If the opposition were being totally honest with the people they would have made it clear from the get go that their campaign was not about politics. They would have made it clear to persons that in Barbados we are facing a serious water shortage. That Barbados has always been recognised as one of the most water scarce countries in the world. The World Health Organisation describes Barbados as a water scarce country, and this is not DLP propaganda. These are the facts. Last year was one of the driest years we have experienced in Barbados since we started the documentation of rainfall in 1942.
This drought has been caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon which is also affecting Trinidad, St. Lucia, Dominica and other parts of the Caribbean. The other islands may benefit from surface rivers. However, in Barbados the only river which we can speak of is River Bay or River Road. Naturally, the impact of the drought would be felt more in Barbados.
Alas, Ms. Mottley’s many attempts to play politics often fall flat. No matter how she tries she seems incapable of mending the fractures within the BLP.
The solution to the challenges with water in Barbados is nothing which can happen overnight. Indeed, many of the solutions should have been addressed and implemented years ago. The Democratic Labour Party administration is in the process of bringing about a long-term fix to the problem. Part of the problem is the old decaying water mains which cause 40 – 60 % of the water which is pumped by the BWA to leak back into the ground before reaching the households which it was intended for. The mains replacement programme which is in process will resolve that problem.
The next solution would be in finding alternative sources of water. Some of these measures were outlined by Minister of Agriculture & Water Resources, Dr. David Estwick. These include the completion of the Northern Upgrade Project which would move some 12,000 cubic meters of water from the Spring Garden desalination plant to the Battaleys and Warleighs reservoirs. On December 10th last year an 80 million dollar loan was negotiated with the Caribbean Development Bank for reservoir and additional water mains replacement. This along with plans to introduce additional desalination plants and waste water treatment would ensure that the country would be able to adequately meet its water needs.
The water challenges in Barbados are very real. No one is playing any political games. However, the Government, Minister and the BWA have been working to make the situation better. There is no time for political games. However we need to work together as a country to identify workable solutions and fix the problem. This work has already begun it is time for Ms. Mottley to get on board.
