10 November, 2015
Contract signed between WASCO and The Saint Lucia Social Development Fund
Castries, Saint Lucia. October 6, 2015: Residents of the scenic community of Perou, La Croix Maingot in Castries South East will see the end of 2015 with a new outlook on pipe borne water in their neighbourhood because the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) has signed a contract with the Water and Sewage Company (WASCO) to complete a three month water supply enhancement project.
Perou, which has traditionally been faced with an unsteady water supply due to several factors including topography, was identified for intervention under the Seventh cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) Programme administered by the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF).
The BNTF 7, a collaboration between the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL), undertakes poverty reduction interventions in 3 targeted sectors namely Education and Human Resource Development (Youth at Risk); Access and Drainage; and Water and Sanitation.
Executive Director of the SSDF, Joachim Henry said: “We know that this need existed for a long time, and we are happy that we can now sign the contract to see the commencement of this water project. It involves the establishment of 0.5km of four inch water mains and of course a number of households will be connected to this line. In addition to that we will conduct our customary training exercises to impress the understanding of the importance of water to beneficiaries. We must treat water as a very precious commodity so that we do not waste it. So our capacity building component of the project is all in an attempt to have a sustainable water project here in this community.”
The Skills Training component of the project comprises water resource, maintenance, and waste management training for 25 residents of Perou.
Minister for Social Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment the Honourable Harold Dalsan said: “The total Country Allocation for the Water & Sanitation Improvement Sector is EC 3,222,63 dollars and the contribution by the Government of St. Lucia is EC 161,131 dollars. There are five projects that have been earmarked for this intervention by the CDB. One project which is very necessary is the George Charles Boulevard Public Facility in Marchand, the Ravine Poisson Public Facility which is in dire need of attention, this project here in Perou, Bouton to Colombette water supply enhancement, and improvement of the water supply in Canaries.”
The allocation for the Perou, La Corix Maingot water supply enhancement sub-project is ECD 308,404.00, including a contribution of ECD 15, 420.00 by the government of Saint Lucia. The project is the first Water & Sanitation Improvement sub-project of the BNTF 7 to reach implementation stage.