Two water filling stations for Saba

Water pipes will be installed in Saba this year to two filling stations, one in The Bottom and the other in Windwardside.

The Saba Government and the Dutch water supply company Vitens signed an agreement last week. Commissioner of Public Works and Finance Bruce Zagers, on behalf of the Saba Government, signed the agreement with Vitens CEO Marco Schouten.

Vitens will be assisting Saba with the installation of a water pipe from Fort Bay harbour, where the water desalination plant is located, to the filling station in The Bottom. From there, the water pipe will be extended to the next filling station in Windwardside.

The filling stations will be used by the water distribution trucks to fill up their tanks. This will considerably shorten the trucks’ runs to supply potable water to the consumers. The filling stations will end the need for the long trips of the water trucks that now have to drive up and down from the plant in Fort Bay to deliver water to the different parts of the island, explained Zagers in an interview with The Daily Herald.

Zagers said that this project, which will be funded through the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment I&M, fits in the vision of the Saba Government to increase the quantity of water and to make it more affordable for consumers.

Vitens will provide assistance with management of the project and with maintenance. The company will also help to explore possibilities to set up a bottling facility where large jugs can be filled with drinking water. Saba people have been resorting to buying cases with imported bottled water, which is costly. Commissioner

Zagers was able to secure the project during his visit to The Hague last week. Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs Chris Johnson was also in the Netherlands for talks.

Zagers had several meetings with civil servants at the I&M Ministry to discuss infrastructural projects for Saba. Discussed were not only the incidental investments in projects, but also the need for structural funding associated with the maintenance and continuation of these projects. (See related article)

The Daily Herald.