Skelton-Cline Calls for Overseas Help in Water
Political commentator Claude Skelton-Cline has urged the Virgin Islands government to bring in external international experts, even from China, to overhaul the territory's failing water system. He criticized successive VIP and NDP administrations for decades of inaction while insisting that local workers must be protected and trained under any overseas partnership.
Political commentator Claude Skelton-Cline has sharply criticized successive Virgin Islands Party and National Democratic Party governments for failing to fix the territory's chronic water problems over more than two decades, urging the current administration to seek technical help from abroad, including China, to overhaul the infrastructure.
Speaking on his radio show amid persistent water interruptions across the territory, Skelton-Cline argued that local authorities are failing to get the situation under control. He recommended retaining an experienced international firm with the technical capacity to fix weaknesses at both the infrastructure and systemic levels.
However, he stressed that hiring outside specialists must not displace local workers, insisting that international experts must work alongside Virgin Islanders, implement ongoing training programs, and eventually phase out once a modern, locally managed system is established. Skelton-Cline revisited the territory's controversial water production deal with BiWater, which now operates as Seven Seas Water.
The agreement, which runs until 2030, costs the government approximately $1.2 million per month for 2.3 million gallons of water daily, along with electricity costs. He noted that the contract was originally negotiated under the NDP and later amended and commissioned under the VIP when current Deputy Premier Julian Fraser served as portfolio minister.
He pointed out that despite these heavy financial commitments, inadequate hydraulic facilities, leaking pipes, and distribution bottlenecks continue to leave residents without running water. He placed blame on both major parties for historical missteps, citing past disputes over the Baughers Bay plant and the closure of the Sea Cows Bay facility.
Skelton-Cline pushed back against former ministers, including Mark Vanterpool, who have recently criticized current handling of the crisis, arguing that officials who held office for decades without solving systemic flaws should not be looked to for answers. He expressed the view that former representatives should not return to the House of Assembly and that currently serving members who fail to deliver should step aside.
The commentator's remarks come as communities across the Virgin Islands continue to endure prolonged water outages lasting days or weeks. In response to the persistent utility challenges, the government is moving forward with plans to combine the Water and Sewerage Department with the BVI Electricity Corporation under a unified entity known as the Virgin Islands Energy and Water Corporation, aimed at restructuring and improving utility delivery.
Primary source: VINO