Minister Heyliger said that the businesses and residents of Cole Bay are pumping sewage water constantly but because of the heavy rainfall their sewage overflows from one day to another. He cautioned that there is urgent need to build a sewage system and to make sure homes are hooked up to combat the sewage overflow. Minister Heyliger said due to the mass development of the island there is a larger amount of sewage that has to be disposed of on a daily basis. Home owners he said are adding on to their homes to either accommodate their children or other relatives. The environmental affairs Minister also explained that he is still busy trying to find land to build a waste disposal facility somewhere in the Cole Bay area.
Heyliger further explained that the island's road infrastructure and the Great Salt Pond are affected by the constant rainfall on St. Maarten. This too he attributed to the over development on the island. Minister Heyliger said because of the construction in the hilly areas of the island there is more water running off to the public roads and Great Salt Pond.
The Minister said because of the greater amount of fresh water entering the Great Salt Pond this has created the breeding ground for midges and mosquitoes. He said that his Ministry has taken the initiative to install at least three more water pumps which will be used to pump out the fresh water from the pond. He said one of the pumps is already installed while another two are due to arrive on the island shortly. The Ministry of VROMI is also looking at the possibility of having a few wells around the edge of the pond, Heyliger said.
The Minister said another solution that is being studied is the possibility of running underground pipes to bring in saltwater to the Great Salt Pond. However, he is not sure if the installation of wells and pipes will solve the problems that exist at the Great Salt Pond.
As for the ring road project, the Minister said that the sand that was used to fill in areas around the pond for the ring road has to settle before the road construction can begin. He said so far some 12 lots were distributed mainly to foundations and at least three residents. Minister Heyliger also clarified that the environmental impact studies for the causeway and the ring road were conducted for both projects, copies of which were given to the Chairlady of Parliament to distribute to the Members of Parliament after the leader of the National Alliance and Member of Parliament William Marlin requested it.
As for the various road projects, he said they will be completed by mid 2012. The drainage for Dutch Quarter he said should be completed by August 2012 but plans are underway to begin another road project in that area. Middle Region road construction should also be completed by mid 2012.
Minister Heyliger made clear that while there are number of projects in the pipeline to further upgrade the road infrastructure, he needs to find funding for those projects since his Ministry has the smallest budget within Government.