VG water woes being caused by inadequate plant production– Hon Kye M. Rymer
“The current operational capacity at the Water Production Plant in Handsome Bay is insufficient to meet the community's demands. This deficiency has resulted in water being rationed to the customers of the Valley area of Virgin Gorda from time to time,” the Minister said in a statement late last week.
He added that compounding the problem is the distribution system with inadequate pipes to transmit the potable water throughout the community while adding that his ministry is looking to obtain the services of a reputable and qualified company to replace and upgrade the water distribution network through a public-private partnership engagement.
Sargassum seaweed a problem
“Further compounding the supply of water is the Sargassum Seaweed build-up in the area, which has created further challenges in supplying residents with constant water. Efforts are being made to address these issues,” he said,
Hon Rymer added that the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change is in the process of procuring a boom (floating physical barrier) to prevent Sargassum from entering Handsome Bay, with plans to have it installed by the end of the year.
“In an effort to improve this situation, the water plant company, Aqua Design, advised that they have made arrangements with a local dive company to institute, within the next few weeks, modifications to the present intake structure to reduce the impact from the Sargassum Seaweed,” he said.
The Minister said the team at Aqua Design has also indicated that they are anticipating the arrival of new membranes, which will improve the plant's daily production and once all required parts presently on order are received timely, the plant's daily capacity will increase to approximately 430,000 imperial gallons per day by the middle of December 2023.
He said those measures are part of the plan to alleviate the water scarcity issue and provide a more reliable and consistent water supply for the residents of the Valley, Virgin Gorda.
An online petition has since been launched over the alleged poor state of the water situation in Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. According to the petition’s organiser, the island has been plagued with water troubles, including foul-smelling water and a lack of a reliable supply.
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Additionally, the quality of pipes that are over twenty years old need to be replaced with more durable pipes that will withstand the pressure of the water being distributed. As a result, there will be less breakage of pipes in the distribution system.