The following are answers to questions posed to Donald Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing, by Joseph Hibbert, Opposition Member of Parliament
(1) IS THE Minister aware that the sewage treatment plant in Harbour View has been out of operation?
Answer Yes.
(2) If the answer to question 1 is in the affirmative, will the Minister state the date on which the plant became inoperable?
Answer The plant became inoperable around 1987.
(3) Is the Minister aware that closure of the treatment plant has caused raw sewage to be discharged into the Kingston Harbour and into the open sea?
Answer I want to take issue with the use of the word 'closure'. The fact is nobody closed the Harbour View Sewage Plant. This plant was constructed in the late 1950s and by 1987, when it became inoperable, it had long out-lived its useful engineering life of 20 years. The fact that it has not been replaced is not a deliberate decision on anybody's part. This plant was constructed by a developer as part of the Harbour View development and was subsequently taken over by the NWC (National Water Commission) for operation and maintenance. The tariff rates given to NWC over the years have never been sufficient to allow for capital cost recovery and replacement of the plant. Hence, unfortunately, when the plant deteriorated it could not be replaced by the NWC.
Specific to the question of discharge yes, a portion of the discharge of raw sewage goes into the Kingston Harbour, but the major part goes into the outer harbour.
(4) If the answer to question 3 is in the affirmative, would the Minister state whether or not he has sought and obtained advice in respect of damage to the environment occasioned by the unbridled discharge?
Answer Yes
(5) If the answer to question 4 is in the affirmative will the Minister state the nature of the advice and from whom obtained?
Answer The previous question asked whether any advice has been sought in respect of damage to the environment occasioned by the discharge of raw sewage into the harbour. I want to state here that our interest and priority have exceeded any mere assessment of damages, but more so focused on finding solutions to the problem.
SENTAR STUDY
In 1992/93 this Government commissioned the Sentar Study, which is a comprehensive study with the objective of precipitating a Master Plan for sewerage management in the Kingston Metropolitan Area stretching from Harbour View in the East to Soapberry in the West, which when implemented would have major benefits to Kingston Harbour. This Study identified four main sources of pollution of the Harbour sewage, solid waste and industrial waste and discharges from the Rio Cobre. The Study further proposed a US$300 million solution to comprehensively clean up the Harbour.
In the early 90s also, the entire Kingston Harbour problem was the subject of extensive study during the preparation of the proposed World Bank funded KMA (Kingston Metropolitan Area) Rehabilitation and Commercialisation Project. This project should have provided some resources to address the rehabilitation of a number of sewage treatment plants in the KMA, however, this did not materialise as the World Bank withdrew from the project.
(6) If the answer to question is in the negative, would the Minister state what plans are being made to make a determination in respect of environmental damage?
Answer not applicable
(7) Is the Minister aware that despite the closure of the treatment plant, residents have been paying the full amount for sewage as appears on their water bills?
Answer Yes. They are being billed.
(8) Is the Minister aware that his predecessor had promised a rebate to residents of 50 per cent on their sewage rates?
Answer I am so advised.
(9) If the answer to question is in the affirmative, will the Minister state what arrangements are being made for the application of the rebate?
Answer I can well appreciate the gesture of my predecessor given the situation, and I want to associate with the sentiments in terms of his good intention. Notwithstanding the good intention, due to the inadequate rates islandwide, the NWC continues to experience severe economic difficulties. The fact of the matter is that although treatment is not taking place at the Harbour View Treatment Plant, the NWC still operates and maintains the collection network, involving such activities as the cleaning and scraping of collectors sewers, clearing blockages whenever they occur, repairing and maintaining manhole frames and covers.
It is a matter of record that the NWC has before the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) an application for a new tariff. To the extent that it is granted, the NWC will engage in the reconstruction of the Harbour View Treatment Plant as one of the activities programmed to take place.
(10) If the answer to question 8 is in the negative, would the Minister state whether the citizens of Harbour View may expect such a rebate?
Answer On the basis of the foregoing response, no rebate is possible.
(11) Will the Minister advise what measures are being taken to address the treatment of sewage at Harbour View and will the Minister further advise on the time schedule for such a programme?
Answer Because the conceptualisation of the Harbour View Sewerage System was belated, that is, after the housing scheme had already been built, the option for treatment was restricted basically to a mechanical plant, this being so due to the limited land space available. The consequences of a mechanical treatment plant are high capital construction cost, with operation and maintenance difficult and expensive, requiring 24 hours use of electricity for aeration for every day of the life of the plant, as well as highly skilled operators. To reconstruct this plant, we will have to contend with these same factors. Therefore, the current estimate for the plant is nearly US$5M. The proximity of the sea to the plant constitutes an aggressive environment and imposes additional requirements for design. The solution is not cheap even though technically possible.
The NWC now has in house designs for a new facility, and as indicated before, assuming the NWC is granted the tariff applied for, construction will take place.
