Last Updated on June 19, 2026, 1:13 PM AST by Anthony Morris
Minister Konris Maynard has announced that the governmemt will be engaging the general public in discussions regarding water prices. The Minister of Public Utilities spoke at a recent public interaction session about the water situation in the country.
In this session, he talked to the people of the island about the drought situation and updated them about the government’s efforts to provide water for the people of the island. He shared updates regarding the government’s efforts to increase the water availability through desalination plant.
The government is also conducting surveys to find more sources for underground water in the country. Both these initiatives are expected to increase the water availability for the people of the island.
To this end, Minister Maynard also informed the people of the island what it costs the government to secure water from each of these sources. Notably, the government has been subsidising the cost of water supply for the people of the island heavily.
The people pay the water department of St Kitts seven dollars and twenty cents per thousand gallons of water. Konris Maynard said, it is costing the government $30 to produce desalinated water and a little less than that to produce groundwater. This discrepancy between the prices is somewhat concerning for the government.
The Minister confirmed that the water tariffs have not been revised for the last 25 years. That is, for more than two decades, the government has been charging a similar fees for supplying water while prices of some other commodities has gone up.
To this end, Minister Maynard said, At some point, we have to make a decision that it is in our interest to ensure that we pay even just a bare minimum for the services of water.”
The Minister confirmed that they intend to conduct some consultations with the people of the island. He expressed that the government has spent several millions of dollars in securing water for the people of the island nation. As such, it is important for the government to conduct some discussions with the public about how we are going to move and address the tariff situation.
The officials have shared that they have not made any announcements about increase in prices. The Minister also clarified that this is not an announcement, but discussions need to happen about updating the tariffs.
Minister Maynar also highlighted the importance of water conservation for the people of the island. The call to conservation is important not only to address the cost of water but also to deal with the drought conditions the Federation is experiencing and expects to continue throughout the summer months
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
