Barbados will not be issuing a health advisory for the United States despite a sewage spill which has been affecting Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the last three years.
Noting that Barbados was not in the business of “tit-for-tat”, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxine McClean last Friday explained there would be no response in kind to the US Embassy’s health advisory on Barbados’ drinking water, as the two countries sought to maintain cordial discussions.
“The reality is that . . . a matter that may be parochial in a city or a state in the US is for us a national issue,” McClean said during the Press conference at the ministry’s headquarters in Culloden Road, St Michael.
“We’re not into the business of tit-for-tat either. I think, as a small, but mature and serious country, we deal with things on a factual basis, we engage bilaterally with our partners and with our colleagues and so on.”
The health advisory on Barbados’ drinking water was the second from the US, as just two weeks ago, the country issued one pertaining to the sewage overflows on the South Coast.
Despite this, McClean made a point to thank US Ambassador Linda Taglialatela for meeting with the ministry after the latest health advisory, noting they had very cordial discussions on how to deal with that matter going forward.
Fort Lauderdale recently approved a US$200 million loan to help the city fix broken parts of the sewerage system, which had seen an estimated 20.6 million gallons of sewage spilled in the last three years.
Thousands of Barbadians travel to and reside in Fort Lauderdale.
Despite approving the $200 million loan, according to Broward County newspaper the Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale city manager Lee Feldman said the multimillion-dollar loan would not totally fix the issue.
Pointing out that the United States had similar sewage issues to Barbados, Barbados Water Authority general manager Keithroy Halliday said the United Kingdom also experienced similar challenges.
In 2013 and 2014, an estimated 1.9 billion litres of untreated sewage spilled in the River Thames in London, England, killing wildlife and causing environmental damage.
Halliday said these examples cases showed it was not easy dealing with leaking sewage, as one had to solve the issue while the system continued to be in operation.
Canada and the United Kingdom also issued health advisories.
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said Government was not taking the issue lightly and was exploring options to repair the breached network. (AD)
