Submitted by Anthony Davis
THE GOVERNMENT OF BARBADOS is fully aware of the water woes and is focussing on solutions. So says Minister of Industry Donville Inniss, who assured Barbadians that help was on the way, but warned against ‘dangerous thoughts’ of causing social unrest over the current water woes. SATURDAY SUN dated January 2, 2016
Pray tell me, Mr. Inniss, are we still living in Barbados, or in North Korea, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc.?
As far as I can recall Barbados is still a democratic country with the right to protest being enshrined in our Constitution. So what codswallop are you spewing just because some people are saying that those who have been living without water for a considerable time want to “loot and riot, or otherwise create panic” if they protest?
What is your agenda, Mr. Minister?
There was protest action in St. Joseph today, 02 January, 2016. Was there “looting” or “rioting”, or did anyone create panic, Mr. Minister? The last time there was rioting in this country was 1937 – almost eight decades ago. As for the rigmarole of the populace using 95% of the water in the system, I call that nothing but a reason for hiking water rates again.
May I ask from where have you taken your facts?
In “Barbados – experience the Caribbean” published in 2007 there were 14 guest houses and 78 hotels listed. These include the whole gamut of hotels and guest houses. If we fast forward to 2015, some of the hotels would have ceased operation due to the so-called economic situation, but bigger so-called luxury hotels came on stream. Add to these hotels mentioned, the number of condominiums which have been allowed to be built, although they don’t hire many people and the much needed foreign exchange goes out of the island in most cases, and we get an idea of how much water the tourism industry uses.
How many millions of gallons of water would a hotel which has three golf courses, and a tennis court use per year, Mr. Minister, taking into into account also the number of rooms it has, the number of swimming pools it has, the number of bars it has, the number of restaurants it has, the number of Jacuzzis, etc. it has?
There are many hotels which have two or three swimming pools, the same number of bars, and the same number of restaurants – which, I suppose, need water morning, noon and night.
How about the number of rooms and the number of showers each hotel has?
Can one tell a tourist how long to stay under the shower, and how often he/she should take a shower?
Some will go swimming in the morning and take a shower after, and repeat this in the afternoon and the evening. They have paid for that up front, so not all of them will think of water conservation.
How much water do the gardeners use?
How much water does the private sector use?
How much water does Government use?
Minister Kellman is the first person who came up with such a ludicrous suggestion.
I didn’t go to UWI, but commonsense tells me that that could never be true – not for the numerous hotels, guest houses, condominiums etc. there are in Barbados.
Also, one must factor in the amount of water planes and ships take on when they visit Barbados – especially cruise ships which carry 3000 passengers and 1000 crew. Some hotels even have golf courses and tennis courts which must be watered. We must include stand-alone restaurants and bars, and Oistins Beer Gardens and St. Lawrence Gap – the place one says never sleeps.
You do the Math, and come and tell us the same cock and bull story after, and maybe, just maybe we will believe you!
Then again we won’t, because a cock and bull story remains just that, and we are not as dumb as you seem to think!
When I think of the amount of water wastage in the hotel industry, I would say that you mean that they are the ones which use the 95% of water.
Tourists even generate more waste than the populace of this country.
According to the Burnside Mangrove Pond Green Energy Complex & Beautification Programme Environmental Impact Assessment Outline review:
Waste generation is closely linked to population, though for Barbados tourism contributes a disproportionate amount of waste.A rule-of-thumb is that each tourist generates roughly three times the waste of a local person in the same period of time.
I assume that you have seen that EIA, seeing that you voted unanimously for the Cahill Energy project!
How much of our scarce water will Cahill Energy be using for free, only to pollute our country with its toxic fumes which it will be spewing out of its stack?
How much water will the solar plant to be built by the Del Mastro cousins use, Mr. Minister?
You say that that they are not excuses, but I see them as nothing else but!
“Digging for facts is better mental exercise than jumping to conclusions“, Mr. Minister!
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.