Government to proceed with Public-Private Partnership for water services
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Contact: Adhara King
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 – Government is proceeding with the implementation of the highly-discussed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to improve the operations of St. Lucia's water sector.
Minister of Communications, Works, Transport and Public Utilities Honourable Guy Joseph has emphasized the need to focus on achieving solutions.
“So the government is walking a very straight line on this matter, considering all of the issues in the public and the concerns that they have, but at the same time recognizing that if there's a collapse in the water sector, the only persons that will be held accountable is the government and nobody will understand what pressures you are getting from one side or the other,” said Joseph.
The PPP arrangement will allow for a foreign investor to perform the functions of the existing Water and Sewage Company (WASCO), without completely entrusting the water sector to the private entity.
Minister Joseph addressed speculations of significantly increased water rates, stating that regulatory agencies such as the Water Resource Management Agency and the Water Commission are responsible for installing operational guidelines.
As such, he says, the private company will not have the latitude to increase prices at their leisure. Said Minister Joseph, “You need to speak to the people who encounter those problems on a daily basis, and they would tell you I don't mind paying a few dollars more....the new entity moving forward is to be able to address the real concerns and issues, which is water in the pipes of Saint Lucians.”
The premise of the new operation is the need for an improved and reliable water supply for the island, as well as the current financial instability of WASCO. |
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