By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ABOUT 350 Harbour Island residents protested yesterday, demanding immediate solutions to persistent water and electricity issues that have crippled them for months.

Residents marched through Harbour Island, holding signs and demanding change. The march started at the Bahamas Power and Light power plant, moved to BPL’s head office, and ended on Bay Street.

“When I wake up in the morning, the electricity is off. When I go to bed at night, the electricity is off. We are in desperate need of electricity and water,” said Thea Saunders.

She discussed how the water and electricity challenges strain her family, especially as her mother is a dementia patient and diabetic.

“It’s hard to collect water, and if the water is off for two weeks, we run out,” she said. “It’s a health issue. It’s difficult to flush toilets. Some people come by to bathe, and I have to give them water to flush their toilets. I think this is a severe health risk.”

Ahead of the protest, Energy and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Works Minister Clay Sweeting, Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, Parliamentary Secretary Leonardo Lightbourne, and North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty visited the island to tour facilities and speak with officials and affected residents.

In a statement, Mr Petty said their visit was to remind residents that they have not been forgotten. He claimed the island’s economic boom has caught the major utilities “off guard” but assured residents that the Davis administration is committed to addressing the issues they have faced for over 40 years.

Paris Knowles, 35, a lifelong resident and key figure behind the protest, said a lack of communication and services from BPL and the Water and Sewerage Corporation sparked the protest.

She said the officials’ appearance, though coincidental, motivated residents to continue with the protest.

“I mean, it’s almost as though we are being made to live below our means,” she told The Tribune.

She emphasised the need for clear communication.

“You could understand the light being turned off for two hours for overhead maintenance,” she said. “If that’s the case, you could function without light for one or two hours, but you could imagine the water, your refrigerator, the smell from the bathroom. I have an infant, you know, so it’s crazy, it’s demeaning.”

Ms Knowles said more protests are planned if the situation doesn’t improve.

“As a resident, I am hoping that the way forward isn’t continued protesting. I hope the government sees that we are serious about this. These aren’t our parents that they are dealing with. We are younger, and we’re radical, and we are going to hold their feet to the fire. We hope to get some changes,” she added.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said power outages often last for days. She claimed one resident went without power for 14 days.

Yesterday, Energy and Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis announced that Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) would offer a 50 percent rebate on the base rate for all Eleuthera residential and commercial customers for July.