Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Nearly half-dozen sewerage complaints weekly - Overpopulation among the causes of issue

Nearly half-dozen sewerage complaints weekly - Overpopulation among the causes of issue

While citing multiple reasons for the BVI’s chronic sewerage problem, the Department of Environmental Health has said it receives just fewer than half-a-dozen sewerage-related reports/complaints weekly. Chief Environmental Health Officer Lionel Michael cited that statistic while telling BVI News the number of reports relating to sewerage is too many for their comfort.

“In a given week, we get about four to five reports of various complaints. The odour that comes from the inadequately treated sewerage in the communities is discomforting for people but there are no reported cases of waterborne or foodborne diseases as a result of this. But, yes, it is a major threat,” Michael stated.

“We get some kind of sewerage report every week from people in East End, West End, Huntum’s Ghut, Road Town but primarily in the East End Long Look, Green Land, Long Swamp areas,” he added.

Cause of the sewerage problem


The environmental health boss said the problem was mainly due to poorly-constructed septic tanks and absorption systems, along with the overpopulation of certain areas.

“They are not properly built. Consequently, they are not treating the waste properly. They are undersized, they are inadequate to treat the volume of waste on the properties and hence waste is disposed of in varying times in the East End community,” Michael stated explained.

The department head further said: “They have not built them correctly and now to rectify the problem it is costly … To go in now and remedy the problem is a significant infrastructure and financial challenge.”

Measures to solve the problem


Michael also revealed that his department conducted a national workshop which taught several residents how to build septic tanks and absorption systems by their guidelines. He said persons have since been using the guidelines to properly build and construct the septic tanks.

He also said the only way to properly solve the problem is for the government to develop a sewerage system in the overcrowded areas where the issue exists.

“In those circumstances, we do recognize that government should have a sewage system in place to alleviate some of those problems. But, clearly, the people in East End need a sewerage system.”

He, however, said residents must also bear the responsibility of proper disposal of their waste.

“Government does have a responsibility where real estate is limited, crowding is an issue, and on-site systems may not be the right one, to put in a sewage system. We support that but each and every individual has the responsibility to ensure that their waste is disposed of in a safe and sound manner,” Michael argued.

Under their tenure as government, the previous NDP administration removed some $8 million that had been budgeted to address the sewerage issues in East End. As BVI News understands it, those monies were never returned.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×