WE COULDN’T AGREE more with Minister of Industry and Commerce Donville Inniss that someone must be held responsible for the environmental issues which have been affecting many businesses and residents along the South Coast.
What has been happening for the past few weeks along the tourist belt, with the prolonged issue of effluent flowing from manholes in the area, is a mess that should have been resolved by now.
Tradition over the years has marked today as the official start of the tourism winter season when Barbados starts to welcome thousands of visitors to these shores. Tourism is still our mainstay industry and one that brings in the much-needed foreign exchange which helps to keep this country afloat.
It is, therefore, nothing short of a huge embarrassment that those who have saved for their trip to Barbados to soak up the sun, sea and sand, now face the possibility of being greeted with a stink from the putrid smell of sewage.
As a country we should hang our heads in shame that this issue has gone on for as long as it has. This problem needs to be resolved now. Enough time has certainly passed for the necessary checks, tests and probes to be done to come to a more conclusive finding. Then, this should be followed by the appropriate action.
We need to hear why this issue is occurring, the source of the problem and the corrective measures being taken to deal with it.
It is sad that our Government officials continue to be silent on so many matters affecting this country and are only moved to speak when they reach boiling point or crisis proportions. They need to be called out on this, and many other critical issues that are lagging and not being properly addressed.
Unfortunately, the modus operandi of some who hold leading positions in this country appears to be reactive instead of proactive. Luckily, there are those who refuse to see the merit or the common sense in this theory.
Perhaps instead of speaking about accountability and governance which Minister Inniss said continues to be his pet peeve, he should exercise his power and influence as a Government minister to effect the necessary change.
We agree that these two aspects are sorely lacking, but it is not just enough to talk about it. Those who are in a position to do something about it need to act and call those responsible to account.
This is indeed an emergency and should be engaging not just the affected business owners who operate along the South Coast, as well as residents in the area, but all concerned Barbadians. We all have a stake in this. Tourism is our business and we all need to play our part, after all, as the old campaign stated.
Already, we have heard stories of some tourists cancelling or giving second thoughts to their planned trips to Barbados because of this issue. A country like Barbados that is in the economic doldrums can ill-afford to turn a blind eye to this stink as it has the potential to seriously threaten the vital tourism industry. It is time we make a move to clean up this mess once and for all.
