An entire year of grappling with COVID-19 might have swept the New River in Orange Walk out of your minds. But, in mid-2019, there was an environmental crisis with that northern waterway that choked nearby communities with the persistent and rank stench of dead fish.
Pollution of the river caused a major fish kill, and it prompted the Department of Environment to step in with investigations of the source of the pollution, as well as frequent water quality checks.
Tonight, the Department of Environment is reporting that the pandemic did not halt their efforts in the long road to restoration of the river. Representatives of the DOE have continuously conducted water quality monitoring, and monitoring industries and urban centers to ensure they are complying with the Environmental Laws of Belize. They have also been working in close collaboration with local authorities and the agricultural sector to implement actions to reduce runoff into the river. The DOE reports that 40 out of the 79 light industries in Orange Walk Town have improved their wastewater and greywater discharge from their facilities. The DOE has also ensured that ASR/BSI does their part by improving their wastewater treatment system, and the construction of cooling towers.
A new Integrated New River Watershed Management Plan is expected to be finalized in October of this year. That plan will include other corrective actions to protect the river. The DOE has also secured funding for 2 years of continuous water quality monitoring. A team will be out at the New River every month at 20 sample points from the in-land Lagoon to the Corozal Bay to collect water samples. The DOE is also in the process of partnering with international researchers to intensify monitoring and research efforts in the New River.
The DOE has also reconvened the New River Task Force to contribute to these efforts and join in the collaborative approach to addressing this longstanding issue.
AG on $5.6 Million Judgement
During our interview with the Attorney General today, we also asked her about the latest judgement against the government which would require them to pay some 5.6 million dollars in compensation to Ivorr Realty, a company owned by Olivia Villanueva, the daughter-in-law of Rene Villanueva Sr.
The AG was unable to go into the government's possible plan to appeal but she said there has been discussion to ensure something like this does not reoccur.
Magali Marin Young, Attorney General
"I can tell you that the crowns at the AG Ministry are reviewing that matter with a view to advise the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources on a potential appeal, that is as much as I can share at this point."
"There has been discussion and I think the DPM is reviewing his ministry and see how he could tighten up and eliminate this but he would be the better person at this stage…to give you any direction of where he intends to take that particular issue."
Tourism Minister Says Numbers Are Improving
There's a bit of positive news pertaining to the tourism industry which came out of today's budget debate in Belmopan. Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler gave fellow parliamentarians a small briefing on the latest developments in local and international tourism as part of his remarks in support of the 2021/2022 budget.
According to Mahler, recent consumer trends in the global tourism market are shifting in Belize's favor:
Hon. Anthony Mahler - Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations
"The World Tourism Organization projects that quarter 2 and quarter 3 of 2021 will see a return to approximately 40 or 50% of pre-COVID tourism activity globally. The aviation sector is also foreseeing an upsurge in air travel in the second half of 2021. And I can say that the numbers being indicated by our tourism private sector here at home supports this. It is also important to note that for the first time in just over a year, the airlines are reporting the hiring of new pilots, flight attendants and other support staff. While countries are battling a third and fourth wave causing new travel restrictions, Belize has remained open since October 2020, and with the excellent work done by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Belize remains on track for its tourism recovery. 60% of our main travel market is confident that they will be back to normal activity by the summer of 2021. 87% of these American travelers now have travel plans within the next 6 months, with 61% saying that they are planning to spend more than they normally would. Interestingly as well, consumption trends are showing that demand is also increasing significantly in the traditional off-season periods for countries like Belize. This means that that the summer travel to Belize should be promising. New consumer trends in tourism trends are shifting in our favor, and many tourists are now seeking safe destinations. The market shows that travel consumption is being dictated by how well a country or region has controlled the coronavirus."
Day 2 of Budget Debate
The second and final day of the budget debate is just finished after ten hours and 28 minutes of this marathon House meeting.
We put together a few snippets of the back and forth between representatives from the two sides of the aisle. Here's what the they had to say about the first budget from the Briceno Administration:
Hon. Julius Espat - PUP Area Rep., Cayo South
"74% of our budget, which is approximately 119.8 million dollars is to cover capital 3 projects that were online, that they designed, that they implemented, that they signed the contracts on. And I will list them, Mr. Speaker. For the present budget, we have had to put in 26 million dollars for the Caracol Road, 26 million dollars for a road that they had put as a priority, and yes, I thought we could have not continued that road, and maybe use those funds for the sugar roads, or the citrus roads, or for the rural roads that are urgently needed. But, after proper analysis and investigation, I got the bad news, that it can't be done, or it shouldn't be done. Why? Because you would go into the dark corners of the lending institutions when it comes to Belize. You would go into serious litigation with the contractor."
Hon. Anthony Mahler - PUP Area Rep., Pickstock
"This is a very important budget, Madam Speaker. This budget is the genesis of the implementation of the corrective measures that will stabilize our country after many years of waste, corruption, and mismanagement from the past UDP administration. Madam Speaker, Our economy is on life support. Our institutions are broken."
Hon. Tracy Taegar-Panton - UDP Area Rep, Albert
"Let me also acknowledge, Madam Speaker, that those of us on this side of the House cannot absolve ourselves where it relates to the fiscal challenges that we're currently experiencing. We will not be disingenuous to the Belizean people. But, let me also hasten to say that neither can the current administration, my colleagues who sit on that side of the House."
"Madam Speaker, I listened to the Prime Minister's budget presentation 2 weeks ago. There were no less than 19 mentions of the United Democratic Party, in what I can only describe, to be kind, as a feeble attempt to point all fingers at the former administration. It is a feeble attempt, Madam Speaker, because if we are to get down to the crux of the matter, and if the Prime Minister would be forthright with the Belizean people, then he would have to concede that successive PUP administrations are equally culpable."
Hon. Hugo Patt - UDP Area Rep., Corozal North
"This budget is filled with hyperbole, vagueness, and generalizations, rather than solutions, innovation, and unity that the country desperately needs. It attempts to address the restructuring of the public debt by putting in place an advisory committee, and in so doing, adding more salary expenses to our already depleted economic resources. And while this administration has heavily criticized the borrowing of the past administration, this budget promises to borrow more to continue with public infrastructure. It promises to cut back expenditures by attacking the public officers' and teachers' salaries, public officers who are expected to continue the fight against the coronavirus and prepare for the inevitable onslaught of natural hazards."
"While the global economy is in a crisis, there's generally a sense of compromise and commitment by different governments as to how best to intervene in alleviating the financial burdens that the COVID-19 pandemic has induced in their populace. In the majority of cases, we see how governments have widened the social assistance networks to mitigate the negative socio-economic impacts on their people."
"While it is admirable to see how governments are able to craft legislation to find more monies to alleviate the economic burdens on their people, we see that this general revenue appropriation bill is crafted to do the opposite. We see an increase in infrastructure expenditures and a decrease in the allocations made for programs for social assistance."
Hon. Elvia "Elvi" Vega-Samos - PUP Area Rep., Corozal Bay
"I hereby assure the Belizean people that there are better days ahead. We just get need to get over this hurdle, hope should always be the last thing that we should lose. I humbly ask the Belizeans for your support. We are not quitters."
Hon. Henry Charles - Minister of Public Service/Area Rep., Fort George
"Madam Speaker, this budget comes at a time of unparalleled national crisis. After 13 wasted years under the UDP, 13 years of extravagant spending of Petrocaribe millions, 13 years of reckless and criminal behavior, 13 years of failed litigation in the courts, costing the taxpayers, the people of Belize, millions of dollars. 13 years of exorbitant spending on contracts that benefit family members and cronies, the economy of Belize has been driven into bankruptcy and ruin."
