Biwater disappointed over Hon Vanterpool's comments on plant
"I didn't mind them shut down Baughers Bay and shut down Bar Bay and shut down Sea Cows Bay [water plants] because they say they could produce all the water we want. I kept those plants in reserve. Last week Saturday I had to crank them back up because Biwater bruk down," Minister Vanterpool had told residents at a National Democratic Party (NDP) campaign meeting at Red Bay in East End on May 20, 2015.
The National Democratic Party government, of whom Hon Vanterpool is a member, has been accused of wilfully delaying putting the necessary infrastructure in place for Biwater to supply the entire territory with a 24-hour water supply to get at Virgin Islands Party Chairman Hon Julian Fraser RA who it was that struck the deal with Biwater to eliminate the longstanding water and sewerage woes of the territory.
Hon Vanterpool had stopped short at explaining what was the problem encountered at the Biwater plant on Saturday May 16, 2015 during his address to the audience at the campaign meeting at Red Bay.
“When he [Hon Vanterpool] made the announcement the plant was working. There was an island wide power issue on Saturday and it affected all plants, not just ours. It water hammer damaged a component part that we had a spare for so we replaced it immediately but we had to wait for it to go off the glue as it’s a solvent sitting. It went back on stream on Wednesday [May 20, 2015] and we are in full production now,” Mr Smith told Virgin Islands News Online.
Heart-breaking
Acknowledging that it is “political season”, Mr Smith said the way in which the announcement was made at the campaign meeting was a “shame” and “heart-breaking” as the relevant ministry knew what was the problem and also that the plant was back in operation at the time of the announcement.
“We had the spare to fix it and we fixed it immediately and it’s a shame because we obviously had informed Water and Sewerage [Department], the Ministry [of Communications and Works] itself. They were immediately informed and complimented on the speed of the reinstatement. So it is sort of heart-breaking to have that sort of response but it’s political time I know…”
According to the Project Director, frequent power outages is one of the concerns Biwater has since “it’s a big plant” and there are risks of damages with sudden power outages, however, Biwater is now taking precautionary measures to protect the plant from the sudden loss of power.
NDP spiting Biwater & Hon Fraser?
The NDP government has criticised the former VIP government of not going ahead and put the necessary infrastructure in place for the distribution of water on Tortola even while the Biwater plant was not yet constructed, however, Hon Fraser, the former Minister for Communications and Works, called it inconceivable that the Virgin Islands Party while in Government would sign an agreement in 2010 and have certain infrastructure built just in a matter of months following, even without the construction of the Biwater plant itself.
“Blaming the VIP for not installing and upgrading the piping before construction of the Biwater plant began in 2011, and a full 4 years before water was first produced, is like asking someone to buy furniture for a house before construction starts, and is downright ludicrous. This is especially when considering that at the time our government was saddled with a Peebles Hospital Project costing $100 million, that had a $64 million contract and only $35 million in financing, compliments of the previous NDP Government,” said Honourable Fraser in a statement to the media in April.
“However, while the VIP was aware of government's track record in dealing with water producers, we did not anticipate the level of spite and evil the NDP would have brought to the equation,” Honourable Fraser had continued in his statement.
“We, along with the general public, were aware that the NDP campaigned in 2011 that they were going to get rid of Biwater, so we expected them to frustrate Biwater, which they did, and they also gambled and lost big time by ignoring the contract. The NDP took office on Nov 7, 2011, and Biwater supplied its 1st gallon of water on Nov 27 2014, a full 3 years after NDP took office.”
He had also said that because of what he referred to as a “willful and careless act towards Biwater by this Smith Administration,” Government can only take on average 1.3 million gallons of water a day, and must pay for over one million gallons which they are not using, and worst yet, they must run other plants which would have otherwise been shut down if piping was in place to get the water from Sabbath Hill.
Honourable Fraser has frequently defended the signing of the contract with Biwater for 2.3 million gallons of water a day for which government must pay, whether they use it or not, saying it was no oversight but the only sure way to hold government accountable to the people of Tortola to provide them with a reliable supply of potable water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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45 Responses to “Biwater disappointed over Hon Vanterpool's comments on plant”
People of the 4th District, please vote out Mark! This is the height of $%^&&!
Ndp will go
Vanterpool and company has the balls to talk about the VIP not building infrastructure before the construction of the water plant. Be for real, if you can. It would be very, very foolish to build the infrastructure before signing the contract, common-sense should dictate. You should ask if the VIP government had sufficient time to deal with infrastructure after the contract was signed.
And, if you are going to insist that the Former Minister of Works should have built the infrastructure to accommodate BI Water (before the contract was signed) the big question is WHY DID the NDP not do something about the infrastructure before expanding the pier. LIVE IN GLASS HOUSE, THROW BOULDERS!
And, the expansion around which you seem to be building you present campaign should be questioned. PRESENT Minister of Works, HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME!! Even without having questions about the Cruise Ship Dock, the people in D4 should get rid of you. Shameful that you brag about the dock when you have not really done a single thing for D4; especially Road Town. Bragging about thousands of tourists coming here when Road Town, the first site they behold, is dirty and badly in need of repairs. This is no recommendation. It is like inviting people to your home for dinner when your yard is dirty, dishes piling up in the kitchen sink, and plates from the night before still on the dining room table. Is this SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF?
The little that you have done is questionable. Shameful that there seems to be a little effort to create some fanfare just before election. Like, for example, giving out contracts to clean-up the gutters,. CLEAN UP TIME SHOULD BE ALL THE TIME. It is insulting to those same people to whom you are giving a dole out just before election. You should be slapped down for that. Unfortunately, they are likely to vote for you just because they think you are such a good guy for giving the hand out. It is not the history or culture of the BVI to cultivate a sub-group of beggars. British Virgin Islanders used to be a proud, upstanding people. Anyone, any group seeming to be willfully acting to undermine the dignity of individuals, its own people need to be brought to task.
The people of the British Virgin Islands need to question the NDP about prohibiting local fisherman from fishing in certain areas in the BVI. The fishing grounds are part of the natural resources of the people. Again, SHAME AND DOUBLE SHAME. DO you know what disenfranchisement means? Fishermen/women depend on catching fish for their livelihood.
WHAT TIME IS IT?! Is it the 17th, 18th, or early 19th century. WHO 'D MASSA; WHO 'D DRIVER? Please don't talk to us about democracy and then turn around and do things that are obviously oh sooo undemocratic. In another place, at another time, you will have mass demonstrations on your hands. The government is /should be responsible for ensuring the welfare of its people, in every way.
Mark is just bad news. There is little difference between himself and the Port's Manager.
When the contract was signed the VIP government did not know that it would be so many years before the plant was operating, so they should have been anticipating it a lot earlier and started the distriburtion network. All sides at fault here and all blaming each other. Must be election time.
Mark is a disgrace. He needs to be chased of the BVI unable to ever return. Sick ba****d.
http://bvinews.com/new/dpp-office-again-laments-budget-cut-spends-18k-less-on-travel
http://bvinews.com/new/police-budget-cut-despite-commissioners-call-for-more/
http://bvinews.com/new/no-police-recruitment-this-year-morris-laments-lack-of-funding-having-to-guard-judges/
http://bvinews.com/new/opposition-seeks-answers-about-crime-wants-police-to-get-more-funds/
this man Smith got some thin skin. Its silly season and everything is fair game!
Because ocean conversion was their cash cow they still throwing a tantrum. When is the crap going to end and they put the people who elected them to serve first?
What for God's name is the problem?
No decency. run from NDP toVIP to get the inside working of the party then back to NDP with it. has set very bad example for young married couples. Where is the keeper? Where does he live?