Abattoir Cistern Undergoing Repairs
The Paraquita Bay abattoir is undergoing repairs after a leaking cistern and a broken pipe left the facility without running water, forcing a temporary halt in operations and preventing farmers from delivering livestock. Agriculture Director Theodore James says contractors are completing repairs and water should be restored by the end of the week, allowing normal operations to resume early next week.
The Paraquita Bay abattoir is being repaired after water shortages forced the facility to close to livestock farmers, disrupting the territory’s meat supply chain. Agriculture Director Theodore James said he learned this week that the abattoir had no running water and immediately contacted the Water and Sewage Department for answers. "I received information on Monday of this week that there was no water at the abattoir, and immediately I inquired from the Water and Sewage Department as to why there was no water in Paraquita Bay," James explained.
Initial investigations identified a broken pipe in the area as the immediate cause of the outage. Further checks, however, revealed an additional problem at the abattoir itself: a leaking cistern used to store water for facility operations. "Upon the depletion of water with our reserve, we realised that we also had issues with our capacity to retain water," James said.
Repairs to the cistern began as soon as the leak was identified. "Right now, as of today, we do have the contractor who’s finishing the repairs on the cistern," the director confirmed. He added that the goal is to ensure the facility is better able to store and retain water once the external supply is restored.
James indicated that the cistern should be refilled by the end of the week, with the abattoir expected to resume operations by Monday or Tuesday next week. "Hopefully, by Friday, we will have water in the cistern ready to go for operations come Monday, Tuesday next week," he said.
The abattoir plays a key role in the BVI’s local food supply, allowing farmers to process livestock for supermarkets, restaurants and other outlets. The recent shutdown has prevented farmers from delivering animals to the facility and may cause short-term disruptions in local meat availability if delays continue.
The Agriculture Department has been coordinating with the Water and Sewage Department and contractor teams to restore service quickly. Officials say measures to improve the facility’s storage capacity are a priority to reduce the risk of similar interruptions in the future. BVI Live will monitor developments and report when the abattoir returns to full operations.
Farmers and retailers affected by the outage are advised to contact the Agriculture Department for guidance and updates.
Primary source: BVI News