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Potable water at “serious risk” of sewage contamination - Report

- more stringent actions required to curb issue
Potable water in the Virgin Islands is at serious risk of sewage contamination according to the 2011 Annual Report of the Environmental Health Division. Photo: cupotico.com
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Indiscriminate disposal of sewage and liquid waste continues to be a prominent cause for public health concern in the Virgin Islands (VI) with potable water supplies being placed at a serious risk of contamination by sewage.

According to the 2011 Annual Report of the Environmental Health Division which was laid in the House of Assembly on July 24, 2012, investigations carried out indicate that drinking water supplies, both private and public, are at a serious risk of contamination by sewage. Added to the indifference in the compliance rate of defaulters, the main causal factor is seemingly a continued decline in the available land space for proper disposal of liquid waste as a result of increased development in the Territory.

The report further outlined that with wastewater disposal continuing to pose an increasingly ongoing problem due to unmonitored and uncontrolled development, other contributing factors include poorly designed septic systems, a common phenomenon of developers exceeding property density, and poor soil types which ultimately affects percolation rates for wastewater.

Though the report mentioned that due to fact that the Water Quality and Institutional Programme institutions such as Day Cares, Preschools, Primary and Secondary Schools, Senior Citizen Home, Health Clinics, and Hospitals are inspected periodically to ensure sanitary standards are maintained in order to reduce undue health risks to occupants, it urged that stringent actions be taken to curb the problem.

Of the over 100 complaints recorded regarding waste disposal during the period under review, nearly 50 percent are attributed to liquid waste and excreta disposal, yet only a small percentage of the investigated cases have been remedied to date.

This appears to be as a result of several factors. Prominent among these is the poor compliance rate of defaulters. Twelve (12) notices were recorded as being filed during the period with only three being complied with. Additional complaints are reported as being followed up with others being referred to other agencies for their attention while a few more remain under investigation.

The report recommends that for the problems, which incidentally pose an incredibly immense risk to public health, to be remedied effectively, bold initiatives are required to be implemented. These include strict enforcement of legislation that prevents exhaustion of land density.

This, it adds, needs to be supplemented by the provision of adequate resources to monitor construction and design of septic systems and legislation of stiffer penalties for offences as well as conduction of assessments in communities with a view to providing alternate low cost sewage treatment options such as the small bore sewer system.

To further exacerbate the issues stated above, the department is plagued by severe staff shortages due to the high turnover rate that it currently faces. “For the year under review staff turnover has been high and replacement staff took extended period of time due to restrictions imposed on the recruitment process.“

The Division continues to maintain the delivery of vital services to the public but admits that this is not without much struggle due to the limited resources at its disposal.

The Environmental Health Division is tasked with ensuring that all aspects of the environment with the potential to negatively impact health are managed to ensure that all persons in the BVI can attain and maintain optimal health and social well being.

12 Responses to “Potable water at “serious risk” of sewage contamination - Report”

  • ooooo (28/07/2012, 09:50) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    MC&W recently diverted the sewage from the walter francis drive, directly to the ghut next to the festival village site....a bandaid over a sore
    • Real Talk (28/07/2012, 11:23) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      You guys had over 30yrs to fix it. What happened?
      • ooooo (28/07/2012, 12:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        look what your government ndp did....swept it under the ghut like how they swept that stamp duty
  • dead duck (28/07/2012, 10:03) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    no surprise here
  • taste bud (28/07/2012, 13:11) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I was always wondering why certain place you go and the water taste like s$$t!
  • big bird (29/07/2012, 08:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Election is over myron why every time you blog It's about politics? Get a life man!!!
  • Disinterested (29/07/2012, 21:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    No compromise. Improperly disposed sewage is a human health health. We needed to stop looking the other way and enforce the rules. The rules are not put in place for decorations; they are to protect our health. Put in place reasonable technical requirements with enforcable rules and enforce them. This is a recurring problem in the BVI. Rules are put in place selectively enforced. Rules are for everyone. Our health is too important for this negligence in enforcing rules.
  • jack be still (29/07/2012, 23:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ladies and gentlemen this report has raised an important issue and must commend some attention...lets fix the sewerage issues
  • taxpayer (29/07/2012, 23:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Trust me, if the sewage problem doesn't start an epidemic, the food sold in that building under construction next to First Bank will. Shame on Ronnie Skelton.
  • Eagle and Buffalo (30/07/2012, 10:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Lets stop this your government -my government foolishness. It is tearing the country apart. Politicians are enabling the nonsense;they are encouraging the foolishness with some of their questionable personnel actions and project allocation. The election is over and the NDP is the duly elected government. As such the NDP is the government of ALL the people; similarly when VIP was in power it was the government of ALL the people. Stop the focusing on what the former government did or did not do, for it is water under the bridge. During the campaign, all the parties claimed that the territory was on the wrong course and if given the opportunity they will get it back on course and move forward. Well the electorate spoke loudly and give the compass to the NDP. Now they just need to lead and put the country on the right course if it were off course. It does not matter what the VIP did not do. You are the plate, at the wicket, in front of goal, the ball is in your hand, you at steering wheel so just make the right move/sction for the BVI. We need sound economic management and good governance. Again lets stop the us vs them foolishness. The BVI needs all of us working as team to move it forward. If not it will be a bottom hugging territory floundering under the weight of all the foolishness. Remember we are like a pebble in the ocean and blessed with some good fortune that could vanish in a microsecond if we continue to embrace the foolishment and dysfunction. Our time, energy and resources shoulld be sustaining and growing our economy.
  • Well (30/07/2012, 12:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    @ taxpayer I with you. I think that place is giving people Bactria in their stomach you all better go doctor and do a blood test


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