Tahira Hurdle of Gall Hill, St. John questioned the BWA officials about her bill which she received of over $4,000.
It was a contentious evening at the Gall Hill Community Centre in St.
John, but when the dust settled, the residents of St. John
experiencing no water from their pipes for five months or more had
fully expressed themselves at the long awaited Barbados Water
Authority (BWA) Town Hall meeting.
Those living in Sherbourne, Coach Hill, Glebe Land and surrounding
areas gave the panel on hand, which included Member of Parliament
Charles Griffith; Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred
Abrahams; Acting General Manager of the BWA Dr John Mwansa; and Chair
of the Board Leodean Worrell, quite a lot to ponder on Sunday evening.
Griffith explained that despite popular belief, he still resides in
Edgecliff, St. John and has felt the same hurt and frustrations of
residents.
“This is a vexing issue and it is one that I have been trying to
address, contrary to belief that I have not been fighting the cause…”
said Griffith.
He also highlighted a meeting he was invited to in Gall Hill Terrace
to address the water issues the community was having, and stated that
it was proof of his effort in working towards a solution.
Griffith mentioned the videos which had circulated around the island
via social media of the desperate situation in St. John, and also the
lack of respect which some of the BWA workers had shown towards
residents.
Members of the community were allowed to express their feelings and
grievances on the microphone, and many complained of what seemed to
them as being overlooked because of lack of social status.
It was also pointed out by some residents that though the water
tankers did indeed service the areas, there were individuals who
seemed to have been given preference, including homes that were being
built or certain business establishments.
Minister Abrahams made the request for any video evidence to be
provided to the ministry and BWA officials, so any breach could be
addressed.
Tahira Hurdle of Gall Hill, St. John lamented the treatment she
received from the BWA after receiving a water bill of over $4,000 for
a third consecutive month. She questioned how residents were paying
for a service they were not receiving, and yet were getting notices of
pending disconnection.
“To my knowledge, the Barbados Water Authority is providing a service,
the service of providing water to the island. I am a cosmetologist, if
I am advertising that I am providing a service – hair, nails or
whatever – and I am taking money from clients and I fail to provide
that service, it would be a problem. You have to think of it that way,
whether it is a private entity or a government entity,” said Hurdle.
The young lady also suggested that residents would welcome the
establishment of a minimum fee, which would go towards the purchase
of tanks and pumps, so they could have access to water. She contended
that it was indeed frustrating to be in the COVID-19 environment and
not be able to have access to running water to bathe, noting that hand
sanitiser was only good for hands.
Another idea which has been long suggested was that of constructing
desalination plants, which would cater to the needs of those in the
hardest hit parishes of St. John, St. Andrew and St. Joseph. The
consensus was that the situation of no water, whether due to drought
conditions or poor management from the BWA, needed to be addressed in
the short term and long term.
One resident also made the suggestion for Minister Abrahams and the
management of the Barbados Water Authority to be more hands-on. She
proposed that they should spend a day driving in the water tankers and
get out to help fill and lift buckets, to see what those who live in
St. John and other parts of the island had experienced over the past
five to seven months.
(AS)