Dominica to help with St. Lucia’s water needs

Bernard Etinoffe. Photo credit: dowasco.dm

Dominica will be assisting at least one Caribbean country with its water needs, as drought-like conditions continue to pose problems for some areas in the region.

St. Lucia is the latest country to request water assistance from Dominica, and General Manager of the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO) Bernard Etinoffe, has disclosed that moves are already being made to assist.

“There have been requests from many of our sister islands for assistance with their water needs. The most advance to date, is St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, and we at DOWASCO, we are hoping to assist the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association very soon, by providing approximately two million gallons of water per week, to that association,” he stated.

But domestic users will surely not be affected by the distribution of water to St. Lucia, Etinoffe assured.

“We certainly are not going to be loading a tanker in Roseau, Deep water harbour, or the cruise ship berth, during peak consumption or peak demand time …What we propose to do, is to load these tankers at nights only at the Portsmouth cruise ship berth,” he said.

The early onset of a dry season is affecting Dominica too. Banana officials have said the growth and quality of the crop are “suffering”. DOWASCO has confirmed that water levels have declined in some sources, and has been making appeals for locals to conserve, even as the country boasts an abundance of rivers.

DNO CORRESPONDENT.

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17 Comments

  1. Lashley
    March 18, 2010

    What st lucia is just a new water company…or lately WASCO could or will have to take water from the sea and purify it……..thats all..st lucian government just have to step his game up god dam!!!!

    ******GOD WILL BLESS MY COUNTRY AND AND THE CARIBBEAN WE ARE NOT THAT BAD TO GET PUNISHED .AMEN!!!!***********

  2. Prophet2
    March 4, 2010

    I believe that the OECS is the only unit throughout the history of black people that has defied the ‘crab in a barrel’ mentality. I mean even our own people sold us into slavery and then you have the slave drivers who whipped us day and night for the masters. Long live the OECS.

  3. Sout Man
    March 4, 2010

    But St. Lucians need tourism to generate revenue for education, health, housing, jobs, food and their well being. How can you claim that you want to help the people of St. Lucia if you want to kill their tourism? There are enough tourists to go around. God will bless us with our share. Unless we build more water storage facilities, as Mr. Lloyd Pascal said recently, the water will continue to flow into the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. I only hope that we are charging them because it’s a commercial venture.

  4. somesense sometimes
    March 4, 2010

    Es ou sav some of allyou Dominicans making me fashay mem? Es we selling water to St Lucia or are we making charity? Not a business we want to make with our water nuh? So who can pay us for our water,
    the tourists or the people? If the people want to pay we can sell for them too. But right now is the St Lucia Hotel and Tourist Association that want to BUY Dominica water. Some of allyou have a problem with that?
    We made charity with our water too. We send some for Haiti people, so now is sell we selling. OK?

  5. Hoorayfordpolice
    March 4, 2010

    give the people the water. some places in dominica will not go without.

  6. freetalk
    March 4, 2010

    Come on people. Who are we helping? The people of St. Lucia or the tourist of St. Lucia? Why give millions of gallons to the Tourism Industry?
    My beef is, Give water to the people of st. lucia and far as tourism is concerned, LET THE TOURIST COME OVER TO DOMINICA.

  7. Fae
    March 4, 2010

    Waterconscious

    With water shortages throughout the Caribbean, we need to be mindful that our rivers and catchments need to be monitored and protected. Cease clearing land indiscriminately….
    Plant/replant trees so that their roots will hold the water and control the flow while preventing floods.

  8. calypsofanatic
    March 4, 2010

    at what cost per gallon ?

    The Picard Rivere where this water is going to come from is already at the lowest levels that i have ever seen …
    But still if it’s loaded at night then i guess the water would have otherwise flowed to the sea
    so it’s all good from where i stand

  9. The Day Has Come
    March 4, 2010

    @ van.. very good questions and observation, I hope it would be considered and clear answers given. It’s good that Dominica is helping St.lucia with water supply, but it’s not ‘for the people of St.Lucia’, but for tourist at the hotels in St.Lucia. Does that make any sense? mmmm… interesting. Now, we here in Dominica are also in a season of drought, we have no idea how long this is going to last. I think the people of Dominica need to be advised as to the necessary precautions we need to take in conserving and gathering water for a time when their might be a shortage. Alot of people have not even realize we are in a season of drought because of the abundance of water supply that we have. But we cannot be naive, always be prepared. And when praying for rain, pray against flooding and landslides. Let’s be wise in the use of our water. And keep praying for good rain for the farmers.

  10. THUNDER HORSE
    March 4, 2010

    God will continue to bless Dominica while we bless those who curse us and do all manner to us.
    the rain will come back

  11. Mary
    March 4, 2010

    WE CAN HELP BUT DO NOT TELL ME THAT I CANNOT FLUSH MY TOILET.

  12. steve
    March 4, 2010

    This is a great marketting tool to attract more cruise ships to our ports and to boost the Nature island of the Caribbean. There is one advantage to under developing and island.

  13. van
    March 4, 2010

    Why are we shipping so much water to a country that is not for the people’s use but for the HOTEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY – when Dominica faces shortage of its own.

    I hope these countries are going to be quick to help when they tables are turned.

    2 million gallon per week is a lot of water. How long will this arrangement last?

  14. coyote
    March 4, 2010

    I am indeed happy that we can assist our sister countries.I hope that all Dominicans take note and not take our water for granted ,please keep the rivers clean and green do not throw rubbish in them and stop cutting down the trees along the river.For it is a vital natural resource.

  15. dreams
    March 4, 2010

    am sir i agree we can help our sister island but just make sure we have for ourself eh when it comes to us..its nice for how ppl use to disregard our water resource it is finally serving it purpose

  16. Anonymous
    March 4, 2010

    God bless us with water and many other things lets be wise about there use.
    Yes we’re giving out water but are we preparing for the time our water might run out.

  17. Sianguk
    March 4, 2010

    Explain this one to me please.

    Dominicans are told to conserve water.

    Dominican Banana industry say plants are suffering in the current climate.

    DOWASCO is to ship 2 million gallons of water, per week to St Lucia.

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