PM Browne Highlights Century-Old Pipe Networks as Major Obstacle to Water Infrastructure Upgrades
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has warned that aging water infrastructure is not only hampering national development efforts, but poses a shared challenge across the English-speaking Caribbean.
Speaking on his weekly Pointe FM radio programme, the Prime Minister said that many countries in the region are grappling with century-old underground piping networks that have yet to be replaced.
“We have a piping infrastructural problem within the entire English-speaking Caribbean. This applies to Barbados, Jamaica – you name it,” Browne said. “Since those pipes were actually laid – probably about 100 years ago – they have not been replaced. All countries – certainly English-speaking Caribbean countries – will find themselves having to re-pipe.”
Browne explained that Antigua and Barbuda’s water woes have been compounded by the government’s efforts to boost supply through increased reverse osmosis production, which is placing added pressure on fragile pipelines.
“So what is happening now, as we keep increasing the amount of water through reverse osmosis water, and with all that pressure – the pipes keep bursting,” he said. “Now the problem is, you don’t know when and where a pipe is gonna burst.”
He pointed to a recent incident in the capital to illustrate the issue, where fresh roadworks were disrupted by sudden pipeline failure.
“Just on Redcliffe Street, Public Works went in there and ‘Barber-Greene’d’ the road because they were trying to spruce up St. John’s – next thing, BOOM,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the country’s ongoing road rehabilitation programme is revealing the extent of the deep-rooted infrastructural deficiencies that must be tackled in tandem. He argued that long-term development will only be possible if governments confront these outdated systems that remain widespread throughout the region.
