By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie yesterday defended his decision to install several manual water pumps in the Nassau Village community last week amid criticism from the opposition who cited the move as “reckless” and a danger to the health of residents in the area.

Saying the actions were done to solely help the less advantaged in his constituency, Mr Moultrie told The Tribune yesterday he planned to have seven pumps installed in the community so residents there could have access to water in an effort to fight against the COVID-19 threat.

So far, four pumps have been installed. The remaining pumps, Mr Moultrie said, will be installed this week.

“I’m satisfied that I did what I think is in the best interests of the residents of the Nassau Village constituency because of the COVID-19 protocols which calls for the frequent washing of hands and the sanitization,” he said.

“I thought that it was very, very important that a temporary provision be made so that residents in the area can have access to water. It’s estimated in New Providence that 40 percent of the homes in New Providence are not connected to the government system and actually have wells in their yards.

“The only difference being that some of those wells are connected to an electrical pump to supply the home. But, it’s the same lens of water and groundwater that they are accessing.”

Aware that some residents may want to use the water for cooking and other purposes, Mr Moultrie added: “It was very important to post notices informing the residents that the water from the pump must be boiled for drinking (and) for food preparation... and for brushing the teeth.

“They have been informed of that and the opposition was aware of that (as well).”

His comments came after Progressive Liberal Party leader Phillip “Brave” Davis called the move “reckless”, noting that the government shouldn’t have permitted Mr Moultrie to install the pumps as it puts the safety of Nassau Village residents at risk.

“The installation of unregulated, unsanitary, and unsafe manual well pumps in common areas by Halson Moultrie, the speaker and the member of Parliament (for) Nassau Village in that constituency is reckless as these wells put the health and safety of the residents at risk,” Mr Davis said in a statement on Saturday after visiting the constituency.

“…There is a formal study commissioned by the Water and Sewerage Corporation in collaboration with an international lending agency confirming that untreated well water is generally unsafe for human consumption and in many cases found to be contaminated with fecal matter and e coli bacteria.

“The government therefore should know better than to allow Mr Moultrie to do this.”

While acknowledging these concerns as “natural”, Mr Moultrie said even the government’s water supply systems are not “without challenges” as it relates to water contamination.

He said: “I have concerns about contamination. I have concerns about bacteria. That’s a natural concern even when it comes to the government water (systems). The government’s water is not without challenges in that regard.”

“…There are many occasions when the government’s water was so rusty or so coronated it wasn’t possible to drink it (in) any event.”

He said many residents have their water turned off because of inability to pay their bills.

“So, all I’m doing is putting an alternate system in place in this crisis situation to give people who need water. You cannot have a protocol for persons to wash their hands frequently and they do not have any water.”

The Nassau Village MP said he believed Mr Davis’ comments were made out of spite stemming from a recent incident that transpired in the House of Assembly. Last week, Mr Moultrie ordered Mr Davis out of Parliament for being “disrespectful” to the chair.

He said: “I’m of the view that they were responding to what happened in Parliament on Monday when the leader of opposition was ordered to withdraw because he was in breach of the rule.

“And so, they came into Nassau Village and they in my estimation exaggerated the circumstance…No one in their right mind would put a system in place that would endanger the lives of people so I don’t know why the opposition would even suggest that.”

Despite the PLP’s negative remarks, Mr Moultrie said the response he’s received from members in the community has been positive so far, with some residents even calling for more manual pumps to be installed.

“…The residents are very pleased that they now have an opportunity to at least manually get some relief,” he said.