Much-awaited Cayon Well commissioned in St Kitts and Nevis, 24-hour water service available

St Kitts and Nevis: The much-anticipated Cayon Well has finally been commissioned at Cabbage Tree on Friday morning for the 24-hour water service to the community. The landmark handing-over ceremony was organized where Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew and other Cabinet officials raised glasses of fresh tap water from the well.

The well has the capacity to supply in excess of 400,000 gallons of water on a daily basis to the residents of Cayon and the surrounding communities who were impacted by constant water disruptions for many years. Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew expressed immense delight and termed it “a fulfillment of the commitment made by the government of St Kitts and Nevis.”

He said that water is a basic need and issue of water scarcity was a great issue for the community, so the government of St Kitts and Nevis accelerated their efforts and fulfilled the promise. PM Drew added that during the budget debate, they announced a budget increase for the water issues in the country by 400%.

He noted that the well would not only benefit the Cayon residents but also the areas of St Peter’s which is another victim of water scarcity, as the engineers specified that the water source in Green Hill will effectively serve Cayon and St Peter’s.

Prime Minister Drew also lauded Minister Konris Maynard and the entire team of workers who made the initiative possible. He said that the Water Service Department will bring fruitful results for the people of Cayon and the surrounding communities.

Notably, the water quality at the Cayon Well has undergone several rounds of quality testing by national and international accredited laboratories. The government stated that the quality of water has met all the standards which have been instituted by WHO for potable water.

The head of the Water Service Department (WSD) and Water Engineer, Cromwell Williams stated that the findings of the various tests have determined the good quality of the water as the tests were performed by the Bedrock Exploration and Developing Technologies St Kitts Ltd.

He said that the quality of the water is exceptionally good as it was tested and rested and found to meet WHO standards.

Qualities of the new well

As per the qualities, the well has been made with the extraction of water from 575 feet below the ground and is considered the deepest well in St Kitts. At the testing, the water was recognized as bacteria-free, and the average temperature of the water was 27 degrees Celsius. The pH level of the water is 7.4 and the level of the manganese, magnesium, arsenic, calcium, and sodium are within the acceptable limit.

The milestone opening of the well has marked the commitment of the government towards tackling the issue of water scarcity for Cayon and the surrounding areas.

The Cayon Well has been completed with the collaboration between the government of St Kitts and Nevis and the BEAD (Bedrock Exploration and Drilling Company).

Notably, St Kitts and Nevis has been experiencing the water issue due to the 20 percent decline in rainfall over the past decade. However, Prime Minister Drew came up with a solution to enhance the water supply in these regions as people were complaining about the problems that arose due to the water shortage.

Hence, the government decided to enhance the budget for water by 400%, and within 2 years of his government, the Labour Party made the water supply possible.

Further, the government of St Kitts and Nevis has also been looking forward to the redevelopment of a well in the Shadwell area to supply them with potable water. The construction of the two-million-gallon desalination water plant has also been announced by the government for Basseterre.

In addition to that, the work on the smaller desalination plant has also been started at Canada Estate.