In acknowledging the calls he received on his 48th birthday on Sunday, February 5, and his approaching two years in office, Minister of Infrastructure, Evan Gumbs, spoke to media representatives abouttwo of the main matters for which his Ministry has responsibility, but which are being run by separate Boards: water and electricity.
He said that a new Board had recently been appointed to run the Water Corporation and the members were doing their best. “There were quite a few things we thought that could have [easily] been done, but we are faced with quite a few challenges,” he said to the reporters. “Eventually they will work themselves out, and I leave them in the hands of the Board members to do their best. I told them that my concern is that water should become cheaper for the people of this island.
“One of the problems we have is that so many of our people have been disconnected from the water supply, but the more people we disconnect the harder it will be for the Water Corporation. We are presently saddled with quite a huge bill from the Crocus Bay plant which is run by General Electric. We have to try and make some payments to that company, and just a few days ago a member of the company was here actually looking for some money. We are working on some arrangements so that we can get that bill sorted out.” He said the company was owed in the region of five million dollars. He stated that some of the water was lost by illegal activities and leakages. He was pleased that a number of leaks around a particular storage tank, as well as along the road, which had resulted in the loss of millions of gallons of water had now been addressed. He hoped that some money would eventually become available to pay the debt, saying he was leaving the matter in the hands of the Board members.
“The desalination plant atCrocusBayis always an expensive way of producing water…You have to get the salt and other things out and so it cost a lot more,” he went on. “The main cost of the water comes from the fuel surcharge even in our private homes as well as businesses. I am hoping to live up to my campaign promise that the water should be cheaper.
“We recently signed on to the brackish water plant where we are getting water from The Valley wells, and this has eased the load a little bit because we don’t have to produce that much from General Electric at Crocus Bay. The water coming from the wells is much cheaper to produce. We will continue to work to get the water rates down much lower, but it is going to be tough because of the cost of electricity. We will we try nevertheless.”
Mr. Gumbs observed that when persons set out to build houses most of the money was being spent on cisterns. As a result, a number of persons were now deciding against building cisterns preferring to subscribe to the public water system instead. “I encourage everyone to build a cistern even if it is small,” he advised. “You can still have the water supply but as a back-up, so it will help you in the long run.”
As regards electricity, the Minister said the Government thought it could make some quick adjustments to its cost. “I want the people to know that the legislation for ANGLEC was carved in such a way that we just can’t touch electricity like that because there is a 12% that the company is supposed to make. Many people took shares in the company because of that percentage. People invested to get some returns, so for us to go and have that changed would mean that we would end up being taken to Court by everybody who has a share in the company; but we are working on that matter.
He said that on February 13 representatives of CASTALIA Strategic Advisors,an American company contracted with Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), would be visiting Anguilla to look into the necessary legislation and other arrangements for the ultilization of solar and turbine energy which would be cheaper than fossil fuel. “I would also like for the people ofAnguillato know that this would not be done overnight, because it will take some time. So the cost of green energy is not going to be reduced the day it is implemented, but down the road it will become cheaper. The people will see the benefits and we will have a healthier environment without all those fumes from the power station and so on. It will work out for us eventually, but we are just waiting to see what the proposals of the company hired by CDKN will be.”
Mr. Gumbs was pleased that a number of persons had been reconnected to the electricity supply after paying a very small fee. He cautioned that the present outstanding bills, owed by those persons, would still have to be paid but there was a period in which they were being allowed to pay it. “We are working hard on trying to get everybody back on electricity”, he promised.
Another matter, on which he spoke, was the Port Authority. He said that his Ministry and the Government had been having some challenges with the Port Authority in terms of Departure Tax and other issues including staffing.
“We recently had a meeting and I was not pleased with quite a few things that were done, and did not approve of their business plan so they had to go back and redo it,” he disclosed. “I don’t have a problem with people getting jobs, per se, but we have been pressured as a Government to reduce the civil service. And I figure that if the Port Authority needed people, they should approach Government for a couple people from the civil service to assist, and if the Government cannot do so, then they should look outside.” He said that to him it was not necessary to have a number of persons employed at the Port Authority.
Mr. Gumbs revealed that on February 15, the first Chief Executive Officer for the Port Authority would be arriving in Anguilla fromSt. Luciato take up his appointment. “I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I was really impressed with him and look forward to working with him and getting the airport and the other ports to what they really suppose to be.” He added that he was interested in whether it was possible to lessen the cost of the Port Authority instead of “one that was costly and really not doing anything.”
The Minister said there was a need to expand the airport and to develop theBlowingPointPortas well, matters he was keeping in mind.
