Statement

Ministry of Communications and Works
Release Date:
Friday, 8 May 2020 - 1:56pm

Remarks by Honourable Kye Rymer
Minister for Transportation, Works and Utilities

Contract Signing For The Rehabilitation And Upgrade Of The Carrot Bay And Zion Hill Reservoirs  

May, 7th 2020

Good Day All. Recognising the already established protocol, it gives me great pleasure to be here today. 

As a result of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the BVI has awakened to the dawn of the ‘New Regular’. Our economy is rebooting and reawakening in this new regular and this is expected to yield significant improvements to the Territory’s water distribution network.

Our Honourable Premier has reminded us that the BVI like other countries around the world has had to hit the pause button to ensure the health and safety of all of us residing in this Territory.  Among the safety measures we were urged to adopt was regularly washing our hands.  Therefore, our main tool to combat this unseen enemy is water. Water as we know is essential to human life.  It is a fundamental need to us as humans.

Today, I am happy to say that we as a Government have taken a giant leap in the improvement of the water distribution network of the Territory. We will be remedying the water woes on the western end of Tortola with the contract signing today.

The works will be conducted in stages starting with Carrot Bay as the Zion Hill reservoir currently supplies Carrot Bay.   The works being signed today is two of three tanks that will be installed.  The tank at Zion Hill capacity will be increased to 101,580 gallons and Carrot Bay will increase to 645,702 gallons between two tanks.   For a total of three tanks delivering 747,282 gallons, this will deliver half of the planned 1.5 million gallon capacity under the CDB loan.

The tanks are being erected using Pre-cast Glass-fused-to-steel water storage.  The bolted technology combined with specialised jacking system enables the tank to be built very quickly without dangerous scaffolding or expensive crane time.  The corrosion resistant glass-fused-to-steel interior and exterior surface will eliminate the need for costly sandblasting and repainting which will significantly reduce lifetime maintenance cost.   

The advantages of this model of storage includes being:

  • Far more cost effective than carbon, steel or concrete
  • Low maintenance costs
  • Fast installation time (60% quicker than the alternative measures we usually use)
  • Resilient Design
  • Can be expanded by adding more rings
  • Robust

Included in the works is the construction of two (2) retaining walls in Carrot Bay to protect the reservoirs throughout their design life at twenty six (26) feet high.

The project also includes the installation of several gate valves to create some districts in the water supply systems of Zion Hill and Carrot Bay.  Several bulk water meters, pressure gauges and pressure reduction valves will be placed in strategic points to access a monitoring system that will activated at the end of the construction period.

This will complement the work done by the Water and Sewerage department, and assist in understanding non-revenue losses, which is the water that is lost through leaks, theft or metering inaccuracies.  In the Caribbean region, policy makers usually quote up to 50% non-revenue losses’; translating to half of what is produced being lost.

When we obtain the data, it can be used to quantify the different component of losses in the system; we can understand how much; where and why water is lost.

Today we congratulate the work done by the Recovery Development Agency (RDA), The Ministry of Finance, led by our Premier and First District Representative, the Honourable Andrew A. Fahie, who made the monies available through the CDB Loan.

Again I thank you, I am proud to be a part of this project with the Ministry of Transportation, Works and Utilities and look forward to seeing these reservoirs installed.