Established October 1895 Policemen encouraged to embrace technology Page 5 Wednesday March 4, 2020 $1 VAT Inclusive ROADWORKS HEADACHE ROADS in Barbados which then leads to further humbug, are dug up by personnel Call for roads to be fixed soon after BWA work because people then have prob- from the Barbados Water lems with their cars, their sus- Authority (BWA) in order to Food Security, Indar Weir who Water Authority has moved to a residents of St. Philip,” Weir pensions etc. and I am wonder- fix burst mains and pipes, serves as the Member of level where there is some change stated. ing what is the strategy for deal- should not be left for ex- Parliament for St. Philip South, in the way things are being done “You repair the mains, you re- ing with matters like these,” tended periods of time with- made this call during this week’s at the Water Authority.However, pair the leaks, but oftentimes Weir further commented that at out being patched and resur- Estimates debate. there are some things that re- holes are left in the road and are times, months later, road are faced. “I think it is very, very inspir- main as a humbug to me as an left for extended periods and are still not fixed, even when Minister of Agriculture and ing to know that the Barbados MP and certainly to many of the not being addressed and this BWA on Page 3 Government reviewing development goals GOVERNMENT is reviewing its sure you that the government to achieve the 17 SDGs alone. efforts to date to implement the will engage the private sector to Rather, its best hope in doing so Sustainable Development Goals ensure that its perspective is is through partnerships. He (SDGs) within its development fully reflected.” noted that the “partnership be- policies. He made this disclosure on tween the government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tuesday as he addressed the private sector and business com- and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Dialogue on the Private Sector munity is indeed a critical one,” Jerome Walcott stated a report Contribution to the 2030 Agenda in this regard. will be presented to “the United and the Sustainable “We believe that it is not Nations in July that will outline Development Goals at UN enough today for the private what we have achieved and the House. sector to focus solely on profits. challenges we face”. He said,“In Walcott told the audience that They must seek to contribute to preparing for this review, I as- it is not possible for government SDG on Page 6 Some of the members of the local business community who attended yesterday’s Dialogue on the Private Sector Contribution to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals at UN House. INSET: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Jerome Walcott addressing the gathering. 2 • Wednesday March 4, 2020 The Barbados Advocate BWA wants backup power THE Barbados Water been in discussion with So long Authority (BWA) contin- the Barbados National Oil ues to work on creating Company and looking at additional standby power other avenues to see how for its pumping stations. we could finance that,” he brown water So says Director of said. THE days of dis- stated. Engineering Charles However, he noted the coloured water flow- In order to address this, Leslie, who said the au- financing of these standby ing from the taps of he noted several pipes thority is working to find generators is “extremely homes and businesses have been flushed as an financing to outfit all expensive”. around this island immediate solution, but facilities with backup Additionally,Leslie said may soon come to an insisted research is being power in the case of a that battery backups have end. done to find long-term power outage. been looked at as an alter- Barbados Water solutions. He pointed out that cur- native, but these are also Authority’s Director of “The ultimate solution rently, between the waste cost prohibitive. Engineering, Charles would be to change all of water and potable water “If we were to go battery Leslie, explained that those pipelines, but streams, there are 36 backup for those facilities, while the modern pipes changing these will be generators over 77 facili- we would be looking at come with a cement lin- very expensive, so re- ties providing water to $65-66 million, so we are ing to ensure water does cently we have been around 70 per cent of the actively looking at how not come into contact doing research and find- island. we can provide that with the material of the ing short-term solutions “We have been working backup for the facilities, pipe, the ageing distribu- where we can add a over the last couple of but the cost has been pro- tion network does not suppressing agent to years to add additional hibitive, in terms of being possess this protective in- the water and it would standby power at the facil- able to find that money terior. prevent the rust from ities, but it is a matter of to provide backup,” he “So what happens going into the water it- financing. We have actu- added. when the salinity has in- self. ally been working out how At the time, he was re- creased, as has happened “Over the next weeks to Barbados Water Authority’s Director of Engineering, much it would cost us to sponding to questions along the coast or months, we would be Charles Leslie. install at the 38 remain- posed by Attorney we add water from a de- doing that at a number of ing potable water facili- General Dale Marshall on salination plant as we pumping locations across that in other areas,” he will be working with ties, and when you look at how the island would face have in the north of the the island and we will be stressed. your communities across supplying those facilities the aftermath of a hurri- island, you then have starting that in the north Speaking during the the north of the island with just a basic standby cane when it was left some of the rust being and coming right down, Appropriations Bill de- and try to eliminate or generator,we will be look- without water due to the removed from the pipe because the instances of bate at the Worthing reduce that brown water ing at $4.5 million.We are two-day electricity outage and travelling along discoloured water in the Corporate Centre yester- as much as possible.” looking to see how we can last year. with the water,” he north are more prevalent day, Leslie assured, “We (JMB) finance this and have (JMB) The Barbados Advocate Wednesday March 4, 2020 • 3 Exploration set to start AUSTRALIA-BASED the comments while re- vironment, there is a understanding during ex- those potential resources. been technological im- BHP Petroleum, which sponding to a question strong belief that there is ploitation and production “They actually want to provements in the way earlier this year was is- from Deputy Speaker of significant offshore oil and of those resources, once start with 3D data which companies search for oil as sued with effective off- the House, Gline Clarke, gas potential that cannot they are discovered in the basically gives you a very well as how that oil is pro- shore exploration li- yesterday morning during be ignored. future,” he said. clear indication of what duced and processed. cences by the the debate on the “We believe that we have White said that BHP your prospectivity is and Coupled with the advance- Government of Estimates of Revenue and significant potential con- wants to fast-track the oil the areas that you can ments in technology in Barbados, is set to com- Expenditure.The Director sidering that BHP has also and gas programme, given drill, and we believe that terms of carbon sequestra- mence its offshore ex- of Natural Resources said discovered significant gas the advancements and within the next few years tion and the use of cleaner ploration programme. while the country recog- resources in neighbouring competition that currently we will be announcing the fuels such as natural gas, That’s according to nises the importance of re- Trinidad and Tobago. Out exist in the region. With discovery of oil and gas re- he said it is believed that Jamar White, Director of newable energy and en- of that discovery, we felt it that in mind, he said it is sources offshore the country can utilise any Natural Resources, ergy efficiency for the necessary to sign a utilisa- very important that they Barbados,” he said. offshore oil and gas re- Ministry of Energy and country to save foreign ex- tion treaty with the coun- move as quickly as possible While’s comments came sources in a much more Water Resources. He made change and protect the en- try so that we have a clear to identify and produce as he noted that there have sustainable manner.(JRT) Financial challenges a problem BWA from Page 1 ing, probably affecting dis- wanted to do any work for tractors. He did acknowl- tricts with the water being the Water Authority, un- edge though that the BWA reported to the BWA. off and the priority is to less they got the money up is in talks with the Minister of Energy and get the main fixed as front and the Water Ministry of Transport and Water Resources, Wilfred quickly as possible and re- Authority was simply not Works to address the mat- Abrahams meanwhile sume normal service.That in a position to do it,” ter of the reinstatement of pointed out that such a is challenging enough as it Abrahams said.