The incumbent Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) representative for St. John’s City East, Melford Nicholas, has said improving the overall sanitation of the community is part of his plan for the continued development of the area.
Nicholas made the disclosure during a town hall meeting at the Pentecostal Preschool on Bishopgate Street on Monday.
The meeting’s objective was to discuss plans to improve the housing stock in the area as part of the ABLP national urban and renewal housing initiative once reelected to government following general elections on 18th January.
Nicholas said special attention will be given to improving the sanitation in the Mongo Town area of City East to eliminate the threat of mosquito borne diseases.
“I also want to say something else about the old city and the hill going up to Mongo Town, and that is, I’ve always been concerned about the challenges that we have with sanitation in this particular area. So, it is one of the things that we are going to solve with this new development programme,” Nicholas stated.
“This is not to speak ill of the conditions in which residents exist now, but it’s to say we are mindful of some of those challenges. Sometimes these unsanitary conditions where wastewater, if it has nowhere to go and it gathers, can create an opportunity for vectors, for mosquito borne diseases and for all sorts of other health challenges that it will present.”
Managing Director of National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company Ltd., Telly Cornelius, and Prime Minister Gaston Browne were also in attendance and addressed the well-attended meeting.
Nicholas hopes that a comprehensive approach, including the utilisation of green energy and sewage treatment, will be taken during the overall urban renewal housing development in City East.
“So, I want to say to the residents here when we approached this project, it is going to be done holistically. The prime minister has mentioned that we are expecting to build green into the facilities,” Nicholas said.
“If you look at the envy of all of the housing projects, I would say the one at Dredge Bay, where some of the houses are equipped with solar panels to be able to assist and improve the green energy production that is available on island.
“Certainly, because we are in a particular bright and sunny area, I would expect, Mr. Cornelius, that…would be considered and some of the common facilities in terms of sewage treatment.
“These are areas that I would expect to see at the end of the project that we would benefit immensely from that.”
