Authorities have launched an investigation after barrels of oil were found dumped in high grass in the Belle, triggering the national oil spill protocol amid concerns about the potential impact on Barbados’ water supply.
Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning Marsha Caddle disclosed the incident during a Barbados Water Authority (BWA) site update on Tuesday, describing the dumping as dangerous and potentially harmful to the wider public.
“What we actually discovered was that some individuals had dumped some barrels of oil in the Belle area,” Caddle said. “That’s a very dangerous thing. A dump where people know that they are hidden, that you dump in high grass, that is the kind of event that seems malicious, and that we really have to realise that this is going to affect all of us.
“It is going to affect our children at school, the drinking water that they have access to. It is not responsible behaviour.”
Caddle urged people to desist from illegal dumping in sensitive areas and said she expected the matter to be investigated.
“We want to make sure that agents desist from that kind of activity and we would assume that is being investigated,” she said.
BWA Manager of Water Resources Alex Ifill confirmed that the national oil spill protocol was activated following the discovery.
“When that incident happened, the national oil spill protocol was enacted,” Ifill said.
He said the Environmental Protection Department was responsible for the investigative stage of the response, including efforts to determine who was responsible and whether prosecution was possible.
“Part of that, the final part that is done by the Environmental Protection Department, is investigations towards finding out who it is and if prosecutions are possible, because this one could have had a significant impact on the water resources of Barbados.”
The incident has also prompted renewed attention to security and monitoring around the BWA’s production and pumping facilities.
BWA Chief Executive Officer Peter Thompson said surveillance equipment had been increased at facilities, although cameras were not yet installed at every location.
“We have cameras around our production facilities, our production and pumping facilities,” Thompson said. “Not all of the production and pumping facilities would necessarily have cameras, but we have definitely increased the equipment surveillance in those areas.”
He disclosed that the authority was also considering using drones to monitor its facilities.
“What we are also considering would be a lower cost option of being able to monitor via drone. Drone technology will make it a lot easier for us to be able to monitor those areas.”
Thompson expressed concern about the dumping of waste in an area connected to the island’s water resources and urged Barbadians to consider the consequences of improper disposal.
“I want people to think about our water quality and what they do when they dump,” he said. “We are not dumping in somebody else’s country and affecting their water, it comes back home to ours.
“When we do these things, we affect each and every one of us, our families, and our friends. It was quite disheartening to see that rather than using the correct methods of disposal, persons can dump in a highly sensitive water area.”
The CEO said the BWA would increase monitoring and strengthen security measures around its facilities.
“We have our concerns, but we are going to be monitoring the facilities more often and putting stronger security measures around those facilities as well,” Thompson said.
Investigations are continuing.
(RR)
