BY

THE HON. BRADLEY B. ROBERTS M.P.

MINISTER OF WORKS AND UTILITIES

AT

THE CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY

FOR

“THE EXTENSION OF THE WATER MAIN INTO

UNITED ESTATES, SAN SALVADOR”

10:30 A.M. FRIDAY, 28TH APRIL 2006
 
 

Hon Philip “Brave” Davis, M.P. for San Salvador, Cat Island, & Rum Cay;
Reverend Jones, Reckley and Clark
 Local Government Members
Sr. Administrator, Chrisfield Johnson
Permanent Secretary, Bernard
Under Secretaries, Balfour & Poitier
Acting General Manager, Sherman
Agms Dr Richard Cant and  Robert Deal
Local Government Officals
Mr. Ian Greene, Project Contractor
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Firstly I would like to extend warm greetings from the Rt. Hon Perry Christie, Prime Minister who is currently visiting the island of Exuma.  He sends his warmth and best wishes to all.
It is always a joy to be with you here in San Salvador the first landfall site of Christopher Columbus on his initial voyage of discovery in 1492.  Beyond question this is a beautiful island, with a history that should be familiar to us all.   It is a land of lakes and hills, and has a wild rugged natural beauty when viewed from the air. Christopher Columbus noted in his journal, "The beauty of these islands surpasses that of any other and as much as the day surpasses the night in splendour."

There are some 12 major lakes and creeks, and these are all saline or hyper saline.  The hills rise up to 123 ft., and entrapped lakes cover about 25% of the surface of the island.

Ladies and gentlemen, the topography, which I describe, is one which does not lend to good ground water resources in this Island.

Groundwater investigations carried out in 1955, 1967, 1971, 1972, and 1974 all concluded that freshwater resources were scarce and totally lacking in most areas.  The best resources were located in the vicinity of Cockburn Town airfield, and in the south in property owned and being developed by Columbus Landings.  Some small bodies of freshwater were also located in the north around the Line Hole Settlement area and in the east around the Hard Bargain area.

In the late 1970s a line of wells was installed on the north side of Cockburn Town airfield and these along with the old US Base catchments were used to supply Cockburn Town and nearby areas with water that was potable.

In 1988 some test drilling was done in the Line Hole Settlement area and a wellfield and distribution system was installed in 1989 to supply United Estates.

The Quincentennial Celebration of Christopher Columbus discovery of America in 1492 brought major focus to San Salvador and plans were made for Club Med to come to the island.  The Government agreed to provide many services to induce Club Med to make a major investment in the island and these included, amongst other things, an enlarged Jet airstrip and a water supply of as much as 90,000 gallons a-day for Club Med alone.  Together these were a major challenge particularly as the airfield went right over the best freshwater lens.

With the new airfield in place it was assessed that the groundwater resources were capable of producing a maximum of 80,000 gallons per day and therefore with Club Meds water demand, Cockburn Town and North Victoria Hill’s water demands it was evident that the resources would be hard pressed. The system was installed in 1992 and the Water and Sewerage were forced to over pump the resource from that time. The recommendation was made to use reverse osmosis to augment the supply, however this plan was shelved when Club Med closed after Hurricane Floyd did damage to its facilities. After approximately 2 years Club Med reopened and has been extremely busy.

The salinity of both Cockburn Town’s water and United Estate’s water rapidly increased during the 1990s and went from being potable to totally non-potable.

It was always recommended that desalinated water would be required and this became a reality in 2005 when Aqua Design Bahamas Limited (now GE) signed an agreement with the Corporation to provide water produced by reverse osmosis in a plant located in Cockburn Town wellfield.  This plant is now in operation producing some 120,000 gallons per day.

  Ladies and Gentlemen there are now 12 R.O. plants serving the Family Islands and soon there will be 13 as the Central Eleuthera plant will very shortly come on stream. I am pleased to report that 10 of these R.O. plants came on stream during the watch of Perry Christie’s PLP Government, and I have instructed plants to be installed in Green Turtle Cay Abaco, Sweetings Cay Grand Bahama, Acklins in Salina Point & Snug Corner and Long Cay within the next 6 months. You should also be aware that the brand new plant at Blue Hills in New Providence is soon to be in operation by the end of July.  When operational, this facility will be capable of producing 5 million gallons per day.

United Estates was not connected to this new RO source of water and currently receives no potable water.

To-day I am delighted to be here with your esteem Member of Parliament the Hon. Philip “Brave” Davis, the staff of the Ministry Of Works and the Water and Sewerage Corporation to announce that is untenable condition will and must change. The process will begin with the signing of an agreement with Mr. Ian Greene, an experienced contractor, a resident of San Salvador and his company Big N’ Better to install some 12000 ft of 6 inch PVC pipe to connect the R.O. water in North Victoria Hill to the system that serves United Estates.
The PVC pipes will arrive in San Salvador before the end of May and projected completion of the works is mid August 2006.

In total this project will cost the Government approximately $350,000 including trenching, materials, site supervision, and some modifications to the system now in place in United Estates.

Ladies and Gentlemen of United Estates and others living nearby I am pleased to assure you that relief is on the way.  You too will now benefit from the R O plant in Cockburn Town, and in due course it is my intention to extend this system further to provide water to in Sugar Loaf and Long Bay.   We will work on getting the funds needed for this expansion and it should be made in priority.
I must add a word of caution regarding the wastage of quality potable by asking the question: Does a little leak in my house really waste water?
The answer is: It's not the little leak that wastes water -- it is the little leak that keeps on leaking that wastes water. And the fact that the leak is so little means that maybe you ignore it. So, how can a little leak turn into a big waste? Many of our toilets have a constant leak -- somewhere around 22 gallons per day. This translates into about 8,000 gallons per year of wasted water, water that could be saved. Or think of a leaky water line coming into your house. If it leaks 1 gallon of water every 10 minutes that means that you are losing (and paying for) 144 gallons per day, or 52,560 gallons per year.
Ladies and Gentlemen, some of us look at water and think; it is the simplest thing around. Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. But it's not at all simple and plain, it is vital for all life on Earth. Where there is water there is life, and where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel.
This beautiful rugged island can be better appreciated with a long cool drink of clear pure water.

Ladies and gentlemen, before executing this agreement, I wish to embrace this opportunity to provide you with an update on two other important projects for your island.  The projects are a High School and a Primary School both to be located near North Victoria Hill.  Both facilities will be state-of-the-art.
The Primary School will have a building area of approximately 22,800 square feet and will accommodate approximately 250 students.

It will comprise:
  Six (6) standard classrooms.
  Science Laboratory
  Art room
  Music Room
  Library
  Pre-school classroom
  Student restrooms
  Administration offices
  Staff lounge
  Multi purpose building (to serve also as a hurricane shelter)
  Covered walkways
  Lunch vendors
  Sports facilities, including, softball field, basketball court, and tract and field.

It is anticipated that school will be tendered by mid to late June, with construction works commencing by late July/early August 2006.  An approximate construction budget of $3.25 to $3.85 million is anticipated.  The construction period will be approximately sixteen (16) months.
The High School will have a building area of approximately 25,700 square feet and will accommodate approximately 300 students.  It will comprise:
  Nine (9)  standard classrooms.
  One (1) resorts classroom
  Science Laboratory
  Food laboratory
  Needlework laboratory
  Art room
  Music Room
  Business classroom
  Woodwork classroom
  Technical drawing room
  Library
  Student restrooms
  Administration offices
  Staff lounge
  Multi purpose building (to serve also as a hurricane shelter)
  Covered walkways
  Lunch vendors
  Sports facilities, including, softball field, basketball court, and tract and field.

It is anticipated that school will be tendered by mid to late June, with construction works commencing by late July/early August 2006.  An approximate construction budget of $3.5 to $4.3 million is anticipated.  The construction period will be approximately sixteen (16) months.

Ladies and Gentlemen, all of these initiatives that I have outlined are coming to fruition as a result of the persistent agitation on the part of your loyal faithful and dedicated Member of Parliament, the Hon. Philip “Brave” Davis.

Ladies and Gentlemen, San Salvador is blessed as it is my understanding that there is employment available for all able bodied residents.  I am also advised that there has not been a new school built on this island in many, many, years.  The previous administration promised and failed to do so. Some of you will recall that the grounds were cleared and fenced it, and nothing happened. A cruel hoax to have been perpetrate on any community.  Your PLP Government will deliver on its promise in building a brand new Primary and High Schools.  And as mentioned, both schools will have proper Sporting Facilities which will provide the opportunity for the young people of San Salvador to develop their sporting talents, just like the students in New Providence.        These improvements are all intended to enable San Salvadorians to improve their quality of life as well as to strengthen the social fabric of this community.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may Almighty God continue to bless the people of San Salvador and it is my prayer that you be spared the ravages of hurricanes this season.