I didn’t take BiWater to Cabinet all those years ago — Fraser
Opposition legislator Julian Fraser has denied being responsible for introducing the controversial water-purchase agreement known as BiWater during his time in office as Works Minister more than a decade ago.
“By the way, I was not the one who took BiWater to Cabinet, but that is all water under the bridge,” Fraser stated during the budget debate this week.
But even as Fraser declined to say who brought the now thorny issue to Cabinet, the veteran legislator sought to highlight the massive amounts of monies and water now being wasted by the Water & Sewerage Department (WSD).
Government, he said, pours $27 million into WSD each year to purchase water but the department only collects $3.5 million in return from usage, Fraser said.
Fraser said there is actually some $21 million unaccounted for each year.
“Some heads need to roll,” the legislator argued. “How could you make $21 million disappear and not know where it’s gone?” he asked.
“We are the worst set of stewards that I have ever seen—stewards of the public purse,” he added.
Millions of gallons wasted
According to Fraser, the water treatment plant at Paraquita Bay produces some 2.3 million gallons of water each day but only 1.9 million gallons of this amount is actually used and this means there are 400,000 gallons of water either not being produced or being wasted.
Fraser insisted that the long-standing issue is not something he was singling out the current Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration for, but said from here on they will be blamed if the issue does not manage to get fixed.
Dilapidated infrastructure is the problem
Works & Utilities Minister Kye Rymer acknowledged the challenges faced by the WSD but pointed to its aged and dilapidated infrastructure as the source of the trouble.
He said there were frequent leaks and breaks to the water line and said this is something the department faces daily, with water losses since the 2017 hurricanes amounting to about 80 percent.
Rymer blamed these breaks and leaks for the constant water interruptions to customers and water losses being experienced by the territory.
As a measure of mitigation, he said the government has placed great emphasis on enhancing the distribution networks throughout the territory.
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Ah no some ah aryo goin comment b4 reading but ah beggin aryo to read b4 commentin
What us ‘aryo’?
is not us
Why did you meet with them in Miami all those years ago Sir? Weren’t you were the architect of the entire Bi-Water deal from start to finish?
The sp***er was
When the BVI has had hundreds of millions in its government budget for years and years, how can it be that the infrastructure is so poor?
We all know the answer, but it’s a real shame, because the BVI has now lost the opportunity to be a well-developed place with good infrastructure, and really good public education system. There just isn’t going to be the money available now the heyday of BVI financial services has gone.
Oh well, never mind, at least a few families got rich…
The Hon Julian Fraser was MCW during Bi-water was brought to HOA, so he needs to stand up as man and embrace it. Was he not in favour of the legislation? If so, why is he now appearing to back up like a lobster. Is the BVI a water-challenged community? Yes. Was Bi-water or a similar plan needed? Was Bi-water perfect? Was it controversial? Yes. Was it a campaign political football for several cycles? Yes. Why is there deafening silence on Bi-water today? Changed self-interest perhaps. Hypocrisy.
The Water & Sewage Department (WSD) is an abject failure, a wreck. The current leadership will get the blame for the failure. Nevertheless, the failures run much deeper. WSD is poorly structured, staffed and operated managed. The WSD Director does not have full control over the total operations of the department. She has control over the administration; others, maintenance and repair. The organizational structure is a recipe for failure. The best, gifted manager could not make it work effectively and efficiently with the current structure. It is in need of urgent restructuring and reforming.
Any organization that is investing $27M annually and taking in $3.5M would have put chain and locks on the doors millenniums ago. True, these numbers are horrible and staggering. Nevertheless, they don’t tell the full story.
Customers should be covering the lion share of the cost of managing and operating the WSD. However, if this were the approach, the rates would be unaffordable for most customers. Instead, government is heavily subsidizing WSD operation with revenues from other sources. Nonetheless, despite the poor organization structure, underperforming infrastructure, staffing, etc, WSD management must employ practices to maximize revenue in-take. Too much talk already. It is time for action. Let’s geh ah dun!
@Ne Timeas, real talk. Hon Julian ‘ Liberator’ Fraser, must be either fish or fowl on the Bi-water issue; he is either in the boat or overboard. This seems like an attempt at revisionist history. But why? Sad to say as you say, Water and Sewage is an abject failure. Regrettably, the current Director will be probably unfairly tagged with the total blame for the failure. Unfortunately, that is how organizations roll, ie, the last and most current leader in the door inherits the failures of their predecessors. His/her role and responsibility is to fix things in theory anyway. You laid out some causes of the failures, so I will not repeat here.
Encourage others with knowledge, experience about Water & Sewage to weigh in and share ideas on the fixes. Water & Sewage is too critical and important a service to allow to continue to flounder. Its failure is not on a single government; rather, it stretches across several governments. Now, it needs to be fixed and fast.
Let’s not even talk about the other company with the water contract we are now paying 20 Million for breach of contract to. So if we do waste 21 Million a year on leaking water, isn’t it time to instead replace the water and sewerage lines and get the problem solved? That at least would be the solution a business would have to decide on. And when we do have the roads dug open, let’s at the same time put in pipes for running Electricity underground.
Infrastructure problems. Here’s a solution, pass the bill top produce the #1 cash crop in world right now, use the natural sun & rain to grow it for less cost then export it to the relevant markets for millions. Then take those millions and improve the infrastructure around here. Progress isn’t that hard to make, just plan and follow thru with the execution. And ignore the Bullcrap bout sweet potatoes and churches. Do what makes economic sense.
My friend, put down the pipe. Look what you’ve written, do some real research then come back to the drawing board! Export weed, to where? So much product in the world right now who wants Tola brown?
Typical of a non-entity and an empty shell – avoid and ashew all sense of responsibility for your own non-action and lack of productivity, while simultaneously attacking those working to make a difference.
My friend, your time is over, you’re a has-been. time for the pastures…wasted time.
One love.
out! all you ndp
Oh yeah and the vip has done a wonderful job of maintaining the infrastructure! Our rep should be ashamed of the conditions here. Drive to Gunn creek and see a thousand dollars a day in wasted water. Temporary fix to a permanent problem, until someone gets killed driving on the worst road in the BVI!
There is indeed an infrastructure problem but what are you doing about it. Have you developed a long medium term plan, say five years, to seriously address this issue so we will not be saying the same thing ten years from now as I was hearing ten years ago? Please develop an annual budget for a phase major replacement of the distribution system over five years and also for the extension of the services and stop talking through your ears. Its time to work and not just talk.
taken into public ownership by the D3 representative and now overgrown with weeds. Got to give Biwater credit for a reliable RO plant that was basically undamaged and back in operation quickly after Irma.
“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Joe Biden. The VI (British) has and has had the budget(s); it is among the top tier in budget size in the region. But the jury is out if it has and is getting value for money (budget). With its on average $300M budget annually, its water resources—Water, Wastewater (Sewage) and Stormwater (Drainage)—-should be in better shape.
Overall, the VI infrastructure should be in much better shape. The VI needs a comprehensive, well-designed/-planned, voter embraced, structurally sound, etc, national development planning, viz, water, electricity, sewage, roads, drainage, and telecommunications, along with health, education, environment, natural resources, economy, etc.
looks like you got stoned ? already, get a glove and have a seat / he heeee