Island residents upset about water crisis caused by development
La Isla Bonita is experiencing hardships from a low tourism season. Aside from the economic downturn which has reduced the number of visitors, the island is now hit with a water crisis. This means that while San Pedro has enough water in its environs, potable water is a commodity that is not available on demand causing further cancellations from visitors. The San Pedro Business community is not taking it lightly. Today, they held a meeting with their membership to hold a developer and the Town Council accountable over a project they feel has acerbated the crisis. The development consists of four hundred and twenty-five house lots that are being sold at a cost of fourteen thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars each. News Five’s Reporter Marion Ali and cameraman George Tillett were in the island today where they found the business community up in arms.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This housing area two miles south of San Pedro Town is called Sugar Caye. It is a development investment by Canadian businessman, David Mitchell, but there is nothing sweet about the development – at least not for the populace. Major crisis with running water since last Thursday was what prompted the San Pedro business community to take action. They are concerned that because certain protocols were circumvented they are experiencing the first of major environmental impacts.
Elito Arceo, President, Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Dev.
Elito Arceo
“What we found out over the past Easter holidays that for the business owners point of view, mostly hotel owners, is the shortage or lack of supply of water. And while they have guests on the islands, of course tourists or locals visiting, they have no water. Of course, I’m a business owner, a tour operator and it take people and we’ve heard the concerns from the people on our trips saying that when they get back home to the island hopefully they can take a shower and of course that hasn’t been happening. Of course they are spending their hard earned dollars in our country and it’s kinda sad that they have no water to bathe or to flush their toilets and stuff and I know some of the hotels have a bucket brigade taking water back and forth. We’ve had some cancellations and two property owners said they had to return some money to some guests. A friend of mine that came to visit, and this is personal now, he left four days prior to his duty because they had no water so they had to go back.”
Miguel Alamilla, Biologist
“As concerned citizens we have always requested that before this development took place that an environmental impact assessment be done because it is a very sensitive area, it’s close to a sewer pond and this was not done.”
But aside from the EIA, biologist, Miguel Alamilla says there continues to be gross negligence as the project progresses.
Miguel Alamilla
Miguel Alamilla
“There was supposed to be a buffer zone around the sewer treatment ponds because it only goes up to secondary treatment and then the waste is disposed of into the mangrove wetlands and the mangroves should provide another stage of treatment. However, a lot of that mangrove has been destroyed by the development. They have been cut down, canals have been opened and that facilitates the movement of water. During tidal changes, there’s a lot of water movement. Friction has reduced and there’s a more water exchange from the sewage pond area where the water is disposed of to the open Corozal Bay.”
[Footage from video clip…]
And it is because of these practices that the San Pedro Business Association and the Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development produced this video clip. The production shows the scope of the work and events that have occurred since dredging and clearing of mangroves at the project site started.
[Footage from video clip…]
Some residents feel that the dredging taking place at the location will be so detrimental that it will affect the future of the marine eco-system.
[Footage from video clip…]
Reporting for News Five, I am Marion Ali.
The Belize Water Services will hold a press conference on Friday morning on the island to explain the water problems currently facing island residents. Meanwhile the San Pedro business community passed a resolution today, demanding that the work at the Sugar Caye project site cease until a determination can be made that the site is not the cause of the environmental problems.
why the Enviornmental Impact Assessment passed the project???
MONEY TALKS FOOL WALKS!!!
A problem is created…now DOE should act immediately and do an proper investigation: why EIA did not do an adequate assessment that could have prevented this issue?
Although this project can serve many families in a positive way, I think the project should be closed down until proper preparations are done in order to protect the environmental problems.
There are rules that should be followed, or the outcome of this negligence will only be dangerous for the people, don’t make the problem bigger, prevent it.
let those foreign b……. leave our land.start taking control of
our country.
This water problem damaged a lot of business, we had the island full of guests, it was the wrong time. We had many guests left San Pedro due to the water shortage in the island, Imagine tax was raised, economy is down, offering bad service to our guests, crime is high, and slow season just started, what else can happen, it is doomsday in the island. It is like a ticking bomb ready to explode. San Pedro will have many business go bankruptcy in less than two months, you will see and you will remember me when this happens. Hate to be negative but what else have been left to think positive.
The San Pedro Town Council promulgates efficiency? What efficiency? their local politcal representatives including their racist area rep needs to go!!!!!!they are all a bunch of hooligans!Yes, San Pedro is the backbone of our tourism Industry, but it needs to be devolped sustainably!
No comment until I hear what the Belize Water Services has to say.
THATS SAD. BUT ITS UN OUR GOV’T REPRESENTATIVES\TOWN COUNCIL’S FAULT.BUT WHAT CAN WE EXPECT “MONEY TALKS BS WALKS”.AGAIN.
Shirley, you we are the one giving it away for few bucks…….and then we cry because there is no land for belizean
I second that!!! Finally someone said the truth!!!
as usual people with green eyes make stupid decisions….let the one who get the under-the-table treatment pay for it all!
It’s at times like these that we discover the worth (if any) of our judicial/legal system. The project should be halted until further approval is garnered and modifications made. Until then, the cost of the interruptions and subsequent loss of revenue should come out of developer’s pocket – not those of the San Pedrano business community. But that is, of course, if the case manages to get that far…..
As I stated before the Town Council does not have the know how on issues of development infrastructure and any procedures should be taken away from them…..the right to make any decision on Developments, Site Planning and DOE issues, as once I stated previously we need to get a third party opinion as a professional association who has the expertise in Island Development and who can be a neutral player in making a educated recommendation and not a uneducated decision..
All items of new development, need to be presented to a Town Committee Board formed of Professionals in Architecture & Engineering and responsible residents who have some knowledge in business development and economy and care about the islands environment and residents who suffer..this is normal procedure in any environment but her in Belize and as we all know Money talks and walks into some of those approving such projects….
Construction is to follow with a regulatory board following up on means and methods and codes that currently we do not have in place and could have prevented failures as presented with sewer water affecting our natural water sources.
Lets no let corruption and greedy pockets destroy our lively hood and paradise oasis…….we need to grow but with rules and regulations, taking processes created buy other countries in the Caribbean who have been successful and now have a solid infrastructure towards a lean economy for all, the residents, the developers and mostly the Country…..
Do we really think that “Sugar Caye” is our main concern? In my point of view these companies are buying out politicians and high political influences alike to be able to carry out their dirty deeds. The community of Ambergris Caye has been standing up against many of these new developments that are not meeting the adequate requirements for their projects but in reality the head of the problem are the politicians and their ministeries. So many developments are being carried out in Ambergris Caye as we speak yet do we know of an office of DOE on site ( I mean in San Pedro) where we can file a report and have a prompt response… NO. We cannot look at one side of the coin and forget about the other side.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT!