The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE Tribune Business Reporter nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net THE Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) will spend between $750,000 to $1 million on a master plan for New Providence's drainage and sewerage system according to the corporation's general manager Glen Laville. Speaking on the numerous projects the corporation intends to address under the $81 million IDB loan, Mr Laville told Tribune Business: "From the sewerage side we are going to do a master plan for New Providence, so that helps to guide our future developments." Mr Laville added "that's going to look at the whole island of New Providence, look at populations where future developments may be, different drainage areas and what it's going to tell us is what size treatment plants we are going to need in the future. It's also going to tell us where the best locations are for them in terms of when we have subdivisions being developed so we can tell what drainage areas they would fall within and what treatment plan they would feed in to. It would give a more coordinated and practical progression as to how sewerage systems develop in the island." Mr Laville noted: "Right now we have something in pace, but this will bring more structure to it. The master plan is going to be about three quarters of a million to $1 million dollars and we have had one or two master plans in the past and so this is something that will bill off that information. We are going to do the procurement exercise this year so we are going out to tender on it." Mr Laville said that the corporation also planned to either replace or refurbish about four miles of gravity sewers and sewer force mains. Altogether the sewer component of the loan is about $16 million and there is some additional funds for project supervision, design work and that sort of thing," Mr Laville said. Last November, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved an $81 million loan for a project aimed at rehabilitating the Water and Sewerage Corporation's (WSC) water supply and wastewater treatment provision. According to the IDB, "the operation intends to support the WSC in its institutional strengthening activities, reduction of water losses, modernisation, and reform of the water and sanitation sector regulatory framework." A September 2011 Environmental and Social Analysis, prepared by Bahamian environmental consultant Stacey Moultrie for the project, revealed how decades of under-investment, neglect, poor maintenance and lack of planning have created conditions that pose a major environmental and health risk.