At the very least, one should demonstrate some integrity when responding to the truth instead of attempting to disguise incompetence and political bias. Before publishing my recent article entitled, “Pollution of Vigie Beach by the Ministry of Infrastructure,” I communicated with a senior official at the named Ministry. He claimed to have no knowledge of the project in question
Most properties in St Lucia have individual septic tanks. With every toilet flush, the waste enters the septic tank. Solids and liquids separate and decompose. The fluid flows from the tanks into the drain field and eventually seeps into the soil, where naturally occurring microbes remove harmful bacteria, viruses, and nutrients. However, this system fails due to user neglect and regular maintenance.
The fact is that septic tanks contain many pollutants, including pathogens and faecal bacteria. In Saint Lucia, septic tanks are neither regulated nor monitored. They discharge their effluents into the environment without proper treatment. There are days when the atmosphere near area below Vigie Beach smells like an open sewer. Additionally, the area is littered with dog faeces that can contain bacteria, parasites, and pathogens, further contributing to water contamination.
That here is an existing problem with contaminated water and a poor drainage system at the southern end of Vigie Beach is undeniable. During the rainy season, there are pools of contaminated water that eventually drain into the sea, posing severe threats to human as well animal health. (This waste-water problem exists island-wide.) Any independent civil engineer would agree that this project I wrote about needs to meet specific standards to facilitate proper water filtering. These include: biological treatment of the water, followed by a subsequent environmentally-friendly chemical treatment to kill all the harmful bacteria in the water.
My challenge to the Ministry of Infrastructure is to permit a certified lab to test the water for bacteria before it enters the construction system, after the treatment-filtering process, and before it is discharged into the sea. I submit that the construction tank does not contain sufficient surface contact for benevolent bacteria to work on the discharged water. From the pictures published with my article, it can be observed that there needs to be more surface area for that to happen.
I am certain that any independent civil engineer would support my contention. Additionally, there is no evidence to support claims the effluent is safe enough to be discharged into the sea. Especially in this moment of heightened sensibility to the dangers of ignoring the environment this, construction should comply with the World Health Organization requirements related to the discharging of wastewater into the sea. Noting this is an environmental matter, I ask: Was there any consultation with the Ministry of Health, Department of Fisheries, and the Development Control Authority?
The Communications Officer, Miguel Fevrier, also facilitated misinformation and disinformation to the public via social media. He attempted to make his readers believe that the geotextile (black fabric) wrapped around the pipes in the tank serves as a filter for bacteria. The opposite is true. While geotextile may filter silt and debris, it does not remove bacteria from the water. In some cases, it facilitates bacteria.
The Ministry of Infrastructure should always be transparent. It should acknowledge this questionable construction does not meet WHO standards—or satisfy St. Lucians that it does. The people must be assured their health interests are protected by our government. “Putting the people” must be more than a political mantra. The health of St. Lucians must always be our government’s first priority. Words without action do not amount to putting the people first!
As citizens of an ostensibly democratic state, we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated or silenced by political hatchet men. We must stand up against all threats by politically appointed individuals with little knowledge of the subject under discussion. We must rediscover the courage to stand up to challenge what is not in the people’s best interests.
It would certainly be helpful if the ministry’s communications officer would openly specify the particular law which he claims I was in breach of when I sought to investigate a possible health hazard at Vigie Beach, a threat involving a tax-funded construction. Note also that there is no sign in the cited beach area to inform the public of a project under construction. Is this not contrary to law?
Given my informed assessment of this project, in the light of its environmental shortcomings and its deleterious impact on the sea, the land, and the health of all St. Lucians, I would like to issue a call to every St Lucian citizen or resident to sign a petition or in any other way register their disapproval against this municipal waste-water project ill-advisedly sanctioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure. By the way, I found the accompanying discarded letter at the site of the disturbing Vigie Beach project. I reproduce it here for public consideration.
Note: The preceeding article is the second by the author about pollution at Vigie. First article can be read here.
