Last Updated on May 28, 2019, 10:16 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Hon Shawn Richards, Parliamentary Representative and Minister responsible for infrastructure, Hon Ian Patches Liburd, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris and other Cabinet ministers will be a “no show” at Wednesday’s discussion on the decision of the Team Unity Government to build the new Basseterre High School (BHS) on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer.
The Cabinet ministers will not make themselves available and accountable to answer questions from the concerned people of St Kitts and Nevis in light of the fact that Mr Liburd was once charged with protecting the drinking water table which supplies millions of gallons of water daily to residents of Basseterre and its environs including Shadwell, Bird Rock, Suncrest, Earl Morne, Frigate Bay and the Southeast peninsula.
A panel of experts selected by the Cabinet of Ministers will be at the head table on Wednesday instead of the ministers who took the policy decision to build the new BHS on the water table.
The experts include some who are on the record calling for the protection of the Basseterre Valley Aquifer over the years.
Member of Parliament for St Christopher 2 (Central Basseterre), Hon Marcella Liburd has expressed alarm at the decision of the government ministers to hide from the residents who need questions to their answers.
“The experts did not take the decision to build the new Basseterre High School on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer. It was the Prime Minister and all the Ministers of his Team Unity Cabinet.
“The Prime Minister and all of his ministers must be present on Wednesday night. All of them must be there to answer the questions of the people who will be affected if something goes wrong,” said the Central Basseterre Labour Party MP, who recently led a demonstration opposing the construction on the aquifer.
“Imagine it is a policy decision of the Cabinet of ministers and the relevant ministers including Minister of Education, Hon Shawn Richards will not be there, the Prime Minister Dr Harris, who is the Minister of Finance will be a no-show, the public works minister Mr Liburd will not be there, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Sen Vincent Byron will not be there,” said Liburd.
“There is enormous risk to the aquifer in using the proposed site. There is irreparable damage that can be done to our largest water source which is already under threat and the history of lack of maintenance,” are among concerns of Victor Williams, a well-respected regional planner and architect and a former chairman of the Development Control and Planning Board.
Williams has expressed concern over the 16,000 gallons of effluent that will be generated each day of operation at the school.
“My concerns are: Where will the effluent be pumped to? Where will the released effluent be deposited? How can we guarantee an odorless discharge? How will it impact property values in the discharge area? For this process to function well, we will need a sophisticated system. How well will it be maintained,” he asked.
“One must therefore conclude that building a school on the Basseterre aquifer is risky, careless, reckless and irresponsible. It runs against the laudable aims to achieve healthy living for all,” he said.
Former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin has made a passionate appeal to the Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Government not to build the new Basseterre High School on the aquifer, which provides over 2.5 million barrels of water daily.
“Water is Life: Err on the Side of Science,” noted the practising veteran pediatrician who added: “Without water, humans die in less than a week. Access to safe water is a human right and vital for the sustainability of the Federation’s development.”
“My government faces a choice: follow a campaign promise and risk contamination.”
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.
