For months, we've been telling you about the jostling over which of the mega cruise developments will come out on top to control Belize's Cruise tourism future.
3 projects have emerged as options for the Belize District's first shoreside berthing facility: They are Port Coral, which is currently under construction; Port of Magical Belize, which has been given environmental clearance; and the Waterloo Port, which is still under review at the National Environmental Appraisal Committee.
Tonight, we report on a dissenting voice that has given the Waterloo Project a major thumbs down. It comes from Belize Water Services Limited; they say that, if approved, the dredging proposals for Waterloo, will undermine the City's wastewater treatment apparatus.
Last week Monday, Alvan Haynes, the CEO of BWS wrote a letter to Martin Allegria, the Chief Environmental Officer.
Haynes informed Allegria that BWS collects wastewater from approximately 8,000 residential and commercial customers in the main area of Belize City which then accumulates at sewer ponds adjacent to the Port of Belize. Every day, an estimated 1.6 million gallons of wastewater are pumped to these sewer ponds for treatment, and the treated effluent is then discharged into the Caribbean Sea, via canals cut through the nearby mangrove wetlands. Haynes describes these as "natural polishers" which provide additional treatment to the effluent.
He says the Waterloo development, which contemplates that 7.5 million cubic meters of dredged material would be placed between the location of BWS's sewer ponds and the Caribbean Sea, would, quote, "lie directly on top of the natural mangrove wetland used as part of the wastewater treatment process….BWS anticipates a serious disruption of the established treatment process…
BWS strongly objects to this project, especially given the required dredging and the placement for dredged material. BWS is of the view that this project will be extremely detrimental to [the] environment and to the sewer treatment system, and would ultimately cost the company and the population millions of dollars for remedies..." End quote.
And what does Minister responsible for Ports and utilities think about this major objection? To find out, tune in to this week's episode of Uncut, which will air tonight at 7:30 here on Channel 7.
