Relief from long-standing water and sanitation woes is on the cards for squatters in some St Michael districts.
Minister in the Ministry of Water Resources Charles Griffith said plans were in train for construction of a water treatment plant to serve people in the Zone 1 areas of The Belle, Bellevue and Bailey’s Alley.
He told the House of Assembly Tuesday that following site visits made to The Belle by representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources and the Barbados Water Authority, the water treatment plant was now “a priority project” of his ministry. He added that a request for proposals had already been sent out.
“It is expected that those proposals will be examined and a decision will be made for a design built service sewerage treatment plant in that particular locale,” Griffith said.
He added that the project would entail the installation of individual communal septic tanks with filter technology as recommended by the Environmental Protection Department.
“The submission and the approval for the final design is expected to take 12 weeks; the construction, installation and testing is expected to take 46 weeks,” the St John MP said.
Griffith’s response followed an impassioned plea from Member of Parliament for St Michael East Trevor Prescod, who expressed frustration over the outcome of his previous attempts to secure access to water for constituents in Licorish Village and My Lord’s Hill.
“At the end of the day, I understand that as MPs for the particular areas that we must come . . . and agitate for persons within the constituency that don’t have a voice . . . ,” Griffith said, adding he was hearing the pain of the residents concerned.
The matter came up as the House debated a land resolution that would see the lands and buildings occupied by the former Glendairy Prison at Station Hill being vested in the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. for tourism development. Residents in the surrounding areas will be encouraged to consider investing in entrepreneurial projects that have been suggested should be part of the Glendairy development.
Barbados had been divided into five zones, heavily restricting building activity in Zone 1 around the public water supply wells. The three areas under consideration are in Zone 1. While introducing the resolution, Minister of Housing Lands and Maintenance William Duguid announced that the area in question was being re-zoned and would no longer be categorised as Zone 1. (GC)
