Felix Raises Concerns Over Water Tank Distribution

The government continues to respond after Hurricane Beryl by distributing water tanks to registered farmers. The authorities expect the distribution to improve the farmers’ ability to store water, especially as seasonal droughts worsen. Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere says distribution has commenced in the country’s south, and farmers should receive their water storage tanks soon. “We are hoping that tour farmers would make very significant use of them because climate change is having a serious impact on the agricultural sector, and water storage is very critical, especially in the dry season,” Prospere said during a pre-cabinet press conference last week. However, Choiseul-Saltibus MP Bradley Felix of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) says farmers in his constituency are complaining that the tank distribution is political. According to Felix, a farmer’s association with the UWP would be a barrier to receiving a tank. “It appears that some farmers, because of their affiliation to me and to the United Workers’ Party, appear to be victimised. And I say so because some of the farmers have brought to my attention that the word is, when they go, is that if your name was not submitted by Pauline (Prospere), which is the lady who I...