Nevis in line for CDB assistance for extensive water project

Junior Minister with responsibility for Public Utilities and Posts on Nevis Hon. Carlisle Powell

NEVIS (March 04, 2010) — Nevis is in line to receive assistance from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), for an extensive water project which will facilitate the upgrade of most of the island’s water distribution lines and provide for new equipment and training.

That announcement came from Junior Minister responsible for Public Utilities Hon. Carlisle Powell, in an interview with the Department of Information on Monday.

Mr. Powell noted that the Administration had received word that the Bank had begun to process the request and had already passed through the loan committee stage. The next leg of the process would take it before the Bank’s Board of Directors sometime this month.

“It is an extensive water project which will see us in Nevis upgrading most of the water lines throughout the island, providing new reservoirs, doing additional training for our people and will see us with the ability to put in new equipment in terms of pumps.

“We will be better able to move water around the island, put in new fire hydrants, new valves and so on and so we are excited about that water project,” he said.

The Public Utilities Minister described the request to the Bank and subsequent overhaul of the water system on Nevis as just another phase of what had been done in the area of water development.

He said one of the highest priorities of the government when it came into office in 2006 was to improve the island’s water system.