(MoPIUEDT NEWS, Basseterre, St. Kitts) – The Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities, Domestic Transport hosted a productive Town Hall Meeting on Desalination, led by the Honourable Konris Maynard, as part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening water security across St. Kitts.
The meeting convened on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 5 p.m. at the CUNA Conference Center in Fortlands, Basseterre, and provided the public with detailed updates on the new 2-million-gallon-per-day desalination plant currently under development, along with other major upgrades underway across the national water system.
Minister Maynard outlined the Government’s strategy for ensuring reliable 24-hour access to potable water for households and businesses in the context of overcoming the persistent challenges which make meeting the demand for potable water from existing groundwater and surface water sources difficult.
“What we have is a situation where we are unable, given the traditional sources that we have of water, to meet the demands of our everyday use.
“We gave the commitment that in a modern-day St. Kitts and Nevis, we should not have a situation where we have to ration water.”
– Hon. Konris Maynard
The technical team from the Water Services Department, represented by Water Manager/Engineer Cromwell Williams and Plant Supervisor Francis Zelaya, delivered a briefing on how the desalination process works, the quality of the output, its integration with existing water infrastructure, and complementary initiatives like the hydrogeological aerial drone survey which resulted in the identification of 17 potential drilling sites in rural areas across St. Kitts.
Completing the panel was the general manager of Royal Utilities Ltd., Gerry Moise, who serves as contractor of the Basseterre Desalination Plant.
During the Question-and-Answer segment, members of the press and private citizens interacted with the Minister and his panel on issues related to desalination and the operations of the Water Services Department generally.
Underscoring the importance of public engagement, Minister Maynard expressed gratitude to the general public, stating:
“I want to thank you, the general public, for your questions, your inquiries, [and] the suggestions that you have had over the years.”
The town hall meeting is the third event in a month of media and public engagements that Minister Maynard has embarked on as part of a national discussion on water, centered around desalination and complementary initiatives to increase the island’s access to potable water.
Earlier in December, Minister Maynard and the Water Services Department’s Chief Engineer Landrith Mikhail Isaac, and Plant Supervisor Francis Zelaya, conducted interviews on Freedom FM and ZIZ Radio as part of the national conversation on water.
As the Ministry of Public Infrastructure continues to seek solutions to address current water issues, it remains resolute to adopting sustainable solutions to benefit all communities and individuals across the island.
For more information, please visit mopieudt.gov.kn and water.gov.kn and follow the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and the Water Services Department on social media.
