St Kitts to construct desalination plant to help alleviate water challenges

The construction of a two million gallon capacity desalination plant are among measures to be undertaken by the St Kitts and Nevis administration.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, Konris Maynard, said that the construction of the plant is among measures that will help to alleviate some of the water challenges that the country is currently faced with, a release from the St Kitts and Nevis Information Services (SKNIS) states.

His remarks were made at a national town hall meeting on August, 1, to give an account of his ministerial responsibilities and duties on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Dr. Terrance Drew-led Administration.

“In the next couple of months, we will embark on the construction of a desalination plant in the Basseterre area; we are now finalizing the details and that is going to alleviate the issues that we have in the Basseterre region,” Minister Maynard said.

He also addressed the water issues within the Cayon and Frigate Bay communities. He said that the Bedrock Exploration Development Technologies (BEAD) St. Kitts Ltd which has been contracted by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis through the Water Services Department (WSD) has begun drilling in Cayon.

“The hope there is that we are going to produce 500,000 gallons worth of water that will definitely assist in alleviating the problem in Cayon,” said Minister Maynard while announcing during the town hall meeting that he received word that the exploration well drilling had discovered water.

The minister additionally mentioned that following the resolution of the water issue in Cayon, the water previously designated for supplying that locality can now be redirected for the purpose of mitigating the water challenges being experienced in another named area.

He added, “When they are finished drilling the well in Cayon and it is successful, we will then move to Shadwell where there is an existing well that needs further addressing and once, we are able to address that, we anticipate that we can get maybe an additional 300,000 gallons of water.”