The additional funding will allow for the completion of both phases of the Dennery Water Supply Improvement Project.
The Government of Saint Lucia has received approval for funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the Dennery North Water Supply Improvement Project.
The water improvement project aims to resolve the issues of poor water quality and an unreliable supply plaguing the east coast village.
The Ministry of External Affairs initially secured grant funding of US$5 million from the Government of Mexico, but the funding fell short of the total amount required for a new water supply and distribution system that would meet the needs of Dennery residents for the next 17 years.
As a result, the Ministry of Sustainable Development requested the CDB’s assistance; and on May 16, the Board of Directors approved a project request from the Government of Saint Lucia for the Dennery Water Supply Improvement Project. The funds will provide the additional amount needed for the completion of both phases of the project.
Minister with responsibility for water, Hon. Dr. James Fletcher, said that of all the projects his ministry has been involved in, this one is among those that give him the greatest satisfaction, because for too long the residents of Dennery North have had to suffer with poor water quality and one of the most unreliable water supplies on the island.
“To have played a part in finally solving one of the most vexing water problems on the island is certainly something that is worth celebrating,” the minister said.
The Dennery North Water Supply Improvement Project involves the construction of a new water intake on the Tournesse River, a raw water transmission line, a new water treatment plant, the installation of a water storage tank next to the treatment plant, a pump station and a force main to the existing Thomazo water storage tank, a new transmission pipeline, pipe connections to the existing Morne Panache pumping station, and pipe connections to the Derniere Riviere distribution network.
Like the Vieux Fort Water Supply Improvement Project, the Dennery Water Supply Project is expected to meet the demands of the residents of the Dennery Valley until 2033, with the capacity to produce 1.4 million gallons of water per day.
In 2011 government promised to resolve the water problems of Vieux Fort and Dennery. The Vieux Fort Water Supply Development Project has already been initiated.
