Black Immigrant Daily News

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The Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (WASCO) has reported that several of its systems in the North of Saint Lucia are down after Sunday’s heavy rainfall that wreaked havoc in that part of the Island.

The company’s Officer in Charge, Zilta George-Leslie, told St Lucia Times that there’s no production from the major Babonneau system which the Hill 20 treatment plant feeds.

As a result, several areas have been affected, including Talvern and Marquis where there are damaged pumps and clogged intakes.

The WASCO Officer in Charge said high water levels prevented access to unclog the Marquis intake.

Zilta George-Leslie

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“Persons in that area – the Babonneau area, sorry to say, that you will be without a supply for some time. But what we have done as early as last night is that we have augmented the system from Ciceron,” George-Leslie disclosed.

She said WASCO is using water from Ciceron to feed into Hill 20.

Consumers were expected to get relief on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the WASCO Officer in Charge explained that the inclement weather had heavily impacted areas like Plateau, Assou Canal, and Grande Riviere.

She said there were no adverse effects regarding the John Compton Dam and Anse La Raye systems.

And George-Leslie noted that bridges had sustained damage, including one in the Grande Riviere, Corinth area, where there was a damaged four-inch pipe.

“We have the bridge in Marc as well. A four-inch line there has been damaged as well so we have our crews, they have been dispatched to try to do all of those repairs,” the WASCO official told St Lucia Times.

She also echoed concern over the indiscriminate dumping of garbage in rivers, declaring that ninety percent of damage occurred to WASCO’s service lines that feed residences.

“We have quite a few meters that were washed away due to this trough system,” the WASCO Officer in Charge stated, adding that the company would incur further expense to replace the lost items..She invited consumers to reach out to the utility at the following telephone numbers:

4573958, 4573960, or 4519812 to report damage or water issues.

Consumers may also send a WhatsApp message to 4820052.

In the meantime, WASCO said it could truck water to people in need.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Georges Pindard, formateur Ufolep de futsal

Propos recueillis
par Romain MATTIO

Georges Pindard (de dos) lors de sa formation pour le BFA de niveau 1 pour les équipes qui ont intégré le championnat Ormat cette saison. • DR

Après avoir animé deux sessions de formation en 2019 et en 2020, le formateur guyanais était de retour en Guadeloupe pour faire passer à des encadrants du futsal licenciés Ufolep des brevets fédéraux de niveau 1 et 2. L’occasion de revenir sur le niveau de formation de la discipline en Guadeloupe et sur les spécificités du futsal.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Football

Romain MATTIO

Mayra Bedminster de l’Arsenal de Petit-Bourg. • LGF

Après la détection nationale qui s’est déroulée à la fin du mois d’octobre en Guyane, Mayra Bedminster de l’Arsenal Club et Djimila Quillin du Sporting Club de Baie-Mahault ont été retenues pour faire partie de la sélection Outre-mer aux Interligues dans l’Hexagone. Le départ est prévu le 25 novembre.

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News

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, left, shakes the hand of a tourism stakeholder on Tuesday during a meeting at World Trade Market 2022, London, England. Photo courtesy THA

CHIEF Secretary Farley Augustine says Tobago is getting high value from its appearance at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, England.

“The highlight for me so far has been the overwhelming amount of engagements,” he said on Tuesday during day two of the WTM. “If I am to position my government to meet with all of these agencies and potential deal-makers, it will cost me tens of millions and it will cost me the entire year in terms of time to get that done.”

Augustine said since the start of the WTM on Monday, they have been engaging 20-plus agencies per day. This, he added, translates to between 60 and 80 agencies by the time the event closes later this week.

He said the delegation also got the opportunity to engage agencies which they have never interacted with before.

“We will never have such an opportunity at such a cost-effective price, certainly with the time factor in one week. That will be impossible otherwise but WTM makes that possible.”

Augustine said he felt as though many people at the event are anxious to get involved in something new.

“For us in Tobago we have been so relatively unknown in the global tourism world that it is now beginning to appear to the tourism world that there is a little island south of the Caribbean that we have not been to as yet.

“That is why we talk about being undiscovered, unspoilt and untouched because that, essentially, is what we are, and we hope to monetise that and we hope to give the world a beautiful piece of ourselves.”

Augustine said Tobago is not trying to compete with developed destinations around the world.

“We are not fixated on trying to get skyscrapers built. But when I talk about the greatest little island on the planet, I am talking about an island with a comparatively high standard of living; an island whereby there is a high quality of education for our young people; an island that is sustainable, that is green, that is innovative; an island that is autonomous; an island where indigenous communities feel a sense of independence and feel as though they can live out their dream; an island where people can actually self-actualise.”

He added all of these dreams can be achieved through tourism.

“I am hopeful with the re-engineering of Tobago’s tourism product coming out of covid19, coming out of having very low numbers in previous years, that we can return a lot of visitors to the island.

“That will mean a greater spend in terms of forex. It will also mean greater global engagement and it will mean an island that can certainly act bigger than it is.”

Augustine said it is also about aspiring to the point where size no longer matters.

“What really matters is really the size of your heart. For us in Tobago, we have big hearts and we are ready to embrace the world.”

WTM delegates were entertained by soca artiste Adana Roberts, a drummer, pannist and dancers from the Tobago Performing Arts Company.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The verdict is out and a majority of Crop Over stakeholders are in support of keeping the new Warrens to Emancipation Statue route.

This is according to the Crop Over Festival Grand Kadooment survey conducted by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF).

The survey targeted three Grand Kadooment stakeholder groups: spectators, masqueraders and vendors and covered a broad review of the stakeholders’ assessment of the Crop Over climax event.

Of the stakeholder groups, 57.24 per cent were masqueraders, 36.65 per cent were spectators, and 6.11 per cent were vendors.

On the decision whether to return to the old route or not, a slim margin was recorded.

The new Warrens to the National Stadium route was favoured over the old National Stadium to the Mighty Grynner Highway route in all three categories polled: masqueraders, spectators and vendors.

Overall, 52.73 per cent of the total respondents preferred traversing this year’s route from Warrens to Emancipation Statue Route traversing to National Stadium while 47.29 per cent preferred the old route starting at the National Stadium to the Mighty Grynner Highway.

The breakdown included: 50.19 per cent of masqueraders preferred the new route with 49.81 per cent sticking to the old route. Of the spectators who took the questionnaire 53.80 per cent favour the new route while 46.20 per cent preferred the old route.

The vendors’ divide was 54.17 per cent for the new route and 45.83 per cent want to stay with the route that ends at Mighty Grynner Highway.

Some of the responses to the new route were: “The old route was great but I do believe we have outgrown it. The new route offered many locations where people could set up tents and sell items or make a family day out of it. Before we abandon it, I think we should give it another try when Crop Over is in full swing. This year was only a test run.”

“Kadooment 2023 on the “new” route will be better. More bands will participate, the route will accomdate (sic) larger capacity. Change is good, in this instance. Start the planning well in advance to give vendors, band leaders etc. enough time to participate.”

“And add more water stops along the route and on both sides if was not for the new route at first but after I participated I give it 80% rating.”

” I really love the new route. Please don’t go back.”

Some of the respondents also suggested extending the route to conclude to at the Mighty Grynner Highway.

” Another suggested route, Start at the stadium, along Waterford bottom onto highway, then to warrens, to uwi hill, onto mighty gryner (sic) highway, after party at Kensington.”

“Merge the old route and the route. Send the masquerades from Warrens to the stadium back to Warrens and down university hill and end at spring garden.”

The survey also included questions on participation in Crop Over 2022 and overall jump experience.

All stakeholders responded extremely positively to participating in the event again and weighted their overall experience with the event 6.80, 5.96, 5.57 out of 10 respectively.

Of the masqueraders – inclusive of revellers from all the NCF-registered bands – 47.84 per cent of those who jumped for Crop Over 2022 gave their experience a five-star rating, 34.90 per cent four-star, 12.16 per cent three-star, 3.53 per cent two-star and 1.57 pr cent one-star.

The Grand Kadooment Sweet Lime and After Party was also a hit with the majority of respondents calling for its return next year. When asked if the NCF should keep the event which was staged at Botanical Gardens, 83.86 per cent said yes while 16.14 per cent said no.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with the responsibility for Culture, Dr Shantal Munro Knight indicated that the results of the survey will help the Ministry to conceptualise what Crop Over 2023 will look like.

“This is only the beginning of our stakeholder contributions. We now have to have to meet with other festival stakeholders for further consultations as we begin planning for the 2023 Crop Over Festival,” Dr Knight said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

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