General Manager of the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO) Bernard Ettinoffe has described statements made by Chief Environmental Health Officer, Tassie Thomas on Monday as “unfortunate, in extreme poor taste and a lapse in judgement.”
Thomas said DOWASCO’s decision not to interrupt the water supply in some areas across the island on the weekend after announcing it would do so has serious implications for an increase in mosquitoes and the possible transmission of Dengue Fever.
According to Thomas who spoke to State-Owned Radio DBS, there are islands out there with epidemics of dengue, “People are dying from Dengue Fever, but for us in Dominica thank God we are blessed.”
“So, what I am saying is, when you have announced that you are taking the water and you have changed your mind for whatever reason, go ahead and cut off the supply anyway,” she stated. “Allow people to use up the water that they have collected.”
However, Ettinoffe disagreed with her statements.
“First of all, let me just say that the statement made by the Chief Environmental Health Officer was unfortunate, in extreme poor taste, and in my view a lapse in judgement,” Ettinoffe remarked.
He said DOWASCO has had an excellent relationship with the Environmental Health Department and government institutions for quite some time.
Furthermore, Ettinoffe stated that seeing a message like this on social media to DOWASCO, “makes no sense to me at all” as we are in the hurricane season where the general public is encouraged to store water.
“The Environmental Health Department should be foremost in assisting DOWASCO in educating the public on the safe storage of water,” he noted.
He continued, “I am not sure if the Environmental Health Officer had ever said before that there was a Dengue threat to the country, I have never seen any memo or anything coming from the department in that regard; she may have, I don’t know.”
The DOWASCO general manager added, “The point is, if she did and if there is then educate the public and let them know how to store water safely, but basically to discourage the practice of storage of water is not something that we practice. It’s something that we encourage.”
Meanwhile, he explained why DOWASCO changed its decision about interrupting the water supply over the weekend.
“DOWASCO intended to close the water to effect major repairs along the road,” he explained. “Fortunate for us when we went to do the repairs, we found out that it was not on the main line necessarily, but on a secondary line, very close to the main line, so as a result of that we could have done the repairs without shutting down the main supply.”
He pointed out that it’s not DOWASCO’s intention or desire to shut down the water supply if the company doesn’t need to do so.
“The water was not shut down, the repairs were still undertaken,” Ettinoffe stated.
He hopes that DOWASCO together with the Environmental Health Department will continue to educate the general public on the safe storage of water, “especially now, we are in the hurricane season.”
To be honest, when I listened to her statement, I was lost!!!!! It so no rational in her statement. She actually sounded uneducated. If anyone say merit in her explaine, but say so and educate me on the subject matter.
I didn’t know we had an “environmental health officer” in Dominica!!! You could have fooled me. The mess I see daily in Dominica it’s a disgrace to even mention anything about environmental health anything. Right here in the capital city of Roseau there are several abandoned vehicles that are being used by their owners to sell all sorts of things like juice and sandwiches. Right opposite the Tobacco factory is one next to the Backlays Bank. Some of these abandoned vehicles are on flat Tires. Garbage disposal and collection locations in the villages are worse than the landfill. Dominica is in need of a drastic overhaul from all sectors. The country is overrun by Demons and demon possessed leaders across the board.
It’s a family thing. Now they are competing among themselves to reveal who is more stupid in the family
That echos the poor choice our government in placing their people in positions where they become dumber than they are already. What does collecting water during rainy season has to do with dengue. And why do you want to add to the plight of the people by encouraging dowasco to cut off water supply when there’s no need to. That shows display of poor judgment and a dislike for the Dominican public, where water is an essential need and you should know that the supply should be interrupted an little as posible. Instead, you should look into the activities of your department where you and your staff fail to perform.
The infestation of rats in the Residencial areas. Exposing us to leptospirosis.
The unclean practices in restaurants and snacketes
The smelly sewage water running on public roads from the apartment uildings of the housing projects. That’s tha main cause of dengue and
And many other issues which the environmental health division fail to address. So your work you are…
This woman must be the star girl of stupidity.
Let me preface comments by saying Bernard Ettinoffe is not one of my favorite people because of what he allowed to happen to laboratory, an important part of the company, as a result of his lack of fortitude to stand up to the political directorate. However, in this instance I stand with him. This is the most foolish statement I have heard, well after skerrit’s in Trinidad, in a very long time. Alas just she who head critical departments in our country. Bondieu prèservé nou.
This is about the dumbest comment I have ever heard from the head of a government department. How can this woman advocate for shutting off the water supply unless it is absolutely necessary?
Water is an essential service and has to be treated as such.
We need to understand that not everyone is suitable for their position. While she may be cognisant of the policies, rules etc of executing the job, she clearly lacks common sense. What happens when DOWASCO announces a water loss is that i collect water for the next day or 2..maybe 3. or more especially during hurricane announcements. When water comes back i use the collected water and try to avoid turning on my taps. simple. What she should focus on is the safe storage of water like Mr. Etinoffe stated.
Is this petty disagreement between these two senior public servants really amounts to news, DNO? What about these burning issues that you steadfastly refuse to seek clarity on:
*The Bajan contractors to extend the runway at Douglas Charles
*The exit of StarBoy and family from the $64K monthly tax rental castle
*The non trial of the ‘police officer’ who murdered Kerwin Prosper
*The continual lack of feeder roads for farmers
*The missing billions of CBI funds
*The wrongful dismissal of the airport security officer (9 years and counting) for allowing Mr. Linton to hand cooked crab back to someone to take back home from the airport
DNO, you major in minor. You just cut, copy and paste mostly trivial events and stories. You are not part of the solution. By refusing to use your influence to inform the public on consequential matters, you are part of the problem in Dominica.
Agree 100% with Mr Ettinoff. Environmental Health must do more education on proper water storage and also carry out more inspections of various premises.
But do not ask DOWASCO to shut off the water please!!! What kind of statement is that!!!
I agree with Mr. Ettinoffe. There is a major sandfly issue affecting many parts of the country, with so many children developing skin disorders as a result of it, why isn’t Ms Thomas speaking about this instead. There has been absolutely no word from her department in relations to it, but she wants to accuse DOWASCO of causing a possible dengue out break. I never heard anything about an increase in dengue cases.
When you get job because you from Penville n starboy of stupidity is your hero you always talk from your @#$$. Tazzie go get qualified in environmental health and come back
Thomas doesn’t seem to think that Dominicans have any intelligence. We collect water all the time and if there is no use for it we just throw it away. some of us regularly have drums of water collected whether or not we are expecting a break in the water supply.
I think that she is trying to divert attention from the fact that there is no government fumigation anymore.
I wish that her ministry would address the fact that some Dominicans still don’t understand the importance of soap and washing their hands regularly. I was in the restroom of a big restaurant here and one of the kitchen staff came in, used the bathroom, washed her hands with water, there was no soap available, then she went back to the kitchen. I have had colleagues who think that it is ok to just wash their hands with water alone after using the bathroom.
This lady should spend her time addressing real issues that fall under her department.
SIA
What is fumigation? Does smoking persons kill mosquitoes or is it harmful to humans?
I always know that smoke is unsuitable for humans especially those with respiratory problems.
Having said this, if I am home when they come with this smelly smoke (fumigation), I close all my windows and further block any hole, or crack/crevice.
Yes, we should always encourage people to store water properly and safely.
Two empty vessels and desperate Skerrit supporters start arguing amongst them self. Both of them have presided over a government agency/government owned company in the case of Etinoffe for years. What has either of them got to show for it? Nothing absolutely nothing. In case of Dowasco is more than incompetent, consistently failing to supply a reliable pipe water supply to their long suffering customers. N case of the other one, I guess she is just looking for attention or as others would phrase it, she is singing for her super. In all honesty, I’m surprised that they haven’t turned on each other earlier. Having that that, the leftovers are getting smaller and smaller!!!!
That lady is stupid! Plain and simple. How you telling me in this day and age that DOWASCO realized it did not need to shut of the water, and this lady is saying it should have been? And for that crappy reason?
But on the other hand, I would think that DOWASCO would have know the extent of the works to be done, hence the announcement to shut off the water supply eh.
Anyways Ma Thomas, you need to be preaching “how” to safely store water safely, not that nonsense.
A bunch of losers and failures that make no sense. All of these empty vessels, whether is Tessie Thomas or Bernard Ettinoffe are nothing but facilitators of the evil of Skerrit that’s destroyed our country. What heck closing or not closing water would do to the health crisis in Dominica? If all you serious go after Roosevelt Skerrit who is the damn cause of the health crisis and failure in Dominica
Water supply should only be shut if it is ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY necessary to do so. Wated is too essential a need to be shut for reasons that we can control.