Minister for Lands, Housing, Settlements and Water Resource Management Reginald Austrie has advised Dominicans to be cautious in the way water is used.
Austrie, who was addressing the official commissioning of the $1.8 million Campbell Water Supply Project on Wednesday, said that while many Dominicans believe that water is inexhaustible, statistics show that millions die from lack of water and proper sanitation globally.
“We need to be cautious about how we use the water., and so many times in Dominica we believe that we have a resource that is inexhaustible and we have a tendency to waste it,” he stated.
“Just this morning I was looking at a document, a United Nations Draft Resolution in the December which intended to proclaim 2003 as the International Year of Fresh Water. It is interesting to note that approximately 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and over 2.5 billion do not have access to basic Sanitation. The resolution further stated that a approximately 108 million children under five years old, they die and some 443 million school children are lost because of water and sanitation diseases,” Austrie said.
Austrie stated that while the country can consider itself to be very fortunate, there must be respect for water since it heavily impacts not only Dominica but the international community.
“So we must not just take it for granted …We need to respect water and make the best use of it,” he advised.
We need to build dames to harness the water supply for the people of dominica, build water resaviors, so we dont have to shut the water off every other day, that should not happen in dominica. I went home a few years ago to build my house 2 miles south of roaesu,[in i applied for water to start construction,all the pipe line was in place all i need was for the water department to hook up the line it would take fifteen minutes to hook it up , but no it took me 5 trips to the water department , and a visite to the supervisor, i had to stop construction lay off all the workers it slow me down a full month, finally after alot of complain i got some results, so for all the dominica diasporas be aware coming home is fun but getting water hook up is a drag they keep telling me it”s the maintenance department, i was lucky to get water hook up in a month,some people it take more than that NONSENSE i hope the politicians read this comment if they want us to come home, please get things rigth. like water hook up.
World Rivers Day needs more advertisement. This is a very good idea.
The only way to waste water is not to put it to work. If you’re gonna warn us that we shouldn’t waste water here in Dominica, then shouldn’t you explain why? I was expecting some research or study results about Dominica that showed some sign of danger to our ability to obtain clean,fresh water, not simple statistics downloaded off the internet.
I understand totally the global crisis and the deprivation of water to billions of people, but if you’re going to WARN someone (or an entire country) about something then it should be because there’s imminent danger ahead.
On that note, I agree with the minister that we do need to manage our water better.
talking about water. minister austrie’s head seem to be filled with much of it. no wonder he may be listening but cant hear.
All I am looking at in the above article is that Mr. Austrie is asking us to appreciate our water supply in Dominica, as he advises us not to take that necessary gift of God for granted. For me, his advice should encourage us, one more time and for another reason, to give thanks and praise to God for His blessings of the abundance of water in our country.
Mr. Austrie chose to encourage that attitude in us, as he points out that millions of people in the world die because of the lack of water. Millions of children in Africa, for example, do not reach five years old because they have no choice but to drink dirty or poisoned water to quench their first. I have seen the kind of water some people drink with my own eyes, as shown on television, and I get sick to the stomach. Much more for those who actually drink that water.
We are blessed in Dominica, but if we continue with our attitude of lack of appreciation, and not look at the fundamental subjects or ideas of leaders and authority in our country, we can suffer the consequences.
Water is not inexhaustible. Before I left Dominica in 1974, the road served as the bank of the Layou River in most of its areas. People definitely had to swim or use a boat (canoe) from one side of the river to the other side. That is to tell you how high the water was. When I visited two years ago, as I drove over a bridge of the River, I noticed that area of it had dried down to the bottom; I could walk from one side of the riverbank to the other side. How many more examples do we have like that one?
So water is not inexhaustible. And even us in Dominica can suffer the downfall of exhaustible water, because God is in control. That is why Mr. Austrie is advising us not to take our abundant supply of water for granted. Money is a material asset that we cannot eat or drink. The government would have be very careful in planning to sell our water to other countries, not that we cannot afford to do that. We just have to carefully consider our future outcome.
Someone complained about dirty water during heavy rainfall, but what control does Mr. Austrie have against that situation. In my home at Giraudel we have a very large cistern to hold rain water along with many other large water containers for water catch during heavy rainfall. Some of which are government supplies. That technique is very common among the people of Giraudel and Egliston. Perhaps it is because we know the hardship of not having water to use or drink during the draughts of long, long ago.
So we always have fresh water to use and to drink, heavy rainfall or not. Also with that technique, we preserve a lot of our public water supply. I preferred to fill up the large concrete tub of our cistern, leaving the sun to warm up the water for a glorious bath, rather using the shower of the public water supply in the house.
That too, is the reason the Layou River is so dried up. More and more people are depending on its resource of water, as we also continue to cut down trees which contribute to the preservation of any water resource. It would be factual, if more water is wasted away than what is recycled, if there is any recycling at all.
So let take first take Mr. Austrie’s advise to be thankful to God, for His blessing of abundant water supply. After you have done that, if you can find space in your heart, which I am sure you won’t, then hit on him about why you do not like him and the rest of the stuff that you have against him. As for me, I have no idea what those things are.
Peepip ahve come around after much criticism after his previous address where he took the cake in bad jokes. peepip garcon donkey doh have right in horse race.From cadaver porter elevated to Minister of Gov’t is a qualitative leap my boy!In the euphoria some people lose it and can chat phat about backs and necks thighs and breasts included.
World Rivers Day is carded for Sunday, 26 September, 2010. Under the theme: “WHERE HAVE OUR (365) RIVERS GONE?”. Although the main focus will be in the Carib Territory, the WRD Committee encourages one and all to enhance the River(s) in their Communities.
This is call for a DAY of Action for Rivers!
Chairman, World Rivers Day Committee
Mr Minister our water system needs to address.
Too many times during the rainy seaon, the water gets dirty and cann’t be used for drinking. During the dry season the water pressure is very low in mostly all areas and ” they take the water again” you all have to come up with some solutions to solve those problem there.
We have too much water in D/ca for us to be suffering for it.
@environmentalist: I could not have written it better – You hit the nail on the head. These people are just talkers with grand speeches for the occasions.There are so many draft documents for the protection of the environment lying before Cabinet and they are just ignored. Bunch of Hypocrites!!This government is not at all scientific!! For you to be heard, you must worship at the Shrine of Skerrit and prostitute your integrity.
The honourable Ministerr should be happy then to explain to Domincans why he selling millions of gallons of our water to Sisserou, a foreign controlled company? …over to your Mr. Austrie…
Mr.Breast minister: We need precious water to cook the breasts to make it tender and tasty before we suck it.
So many lack access, die due to lack of water all over the world. So instead of begging other countries for their dollars continually what has the Govt. of Dominica done to sell that precious commodity needed so badly. Austrie indicated that the market exists for our water, which Dominica has in abundance, yet we cannot make money from its sale. There are no Water-harvesting programmes to capture all that water, especially during the rainy season. During the dry season the country cries, farmers plight worsen and agriculture suffers because of drought. Are we listening to or learning anything about Climate Change and the devastating effects it has unleashed in all corners of the globe? Have you heard of the present fires in Russia due to that heat wave? Fires are raging, causing massive havoc there, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees C. The Food crisis will escalate throughout the world as Russia would not be able to export its quota of wheat. The excessive heat wave has destroyed the wheat production. Austrie and his mendicant Govt. has shown no respect for our water resources. They have allowed the building of an asphalt plant close to our most beautiful river, the Layou river, against the wishes and concerns of the Layou community. Austrie and his govt. with lack of vision has allowed the building of fuel tanks, which stores fossil fuel on the banks of the Belfast River, another one of our most beautiful rivers in Dominica. There is a lackadaisical approach, a don’t care attitude towards protection of our pristine environment which will hunt all of us in Dominica. Climate Change is Real. That phenomena is creating more poverty, more misery, crippling food production, displacing and killing millions. But authorities wouldn’t care less to further conserve and protect our natural resources. They continually harass and chastise those persons who advocate on preservation and conservation of our water and other resources in a way that Dominica could derive necessary revenue from those resources and prevent that begging mentality.
The Breast Minister did better in Campbell, than he did in the House of Assembly..
Someone surfed the internet for him,and told him that water has no breast so be careful…