BCCI urges BWA to improve its communications arm
The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has suggested to the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) that it makes improvements to its communications arm, so as to provide greater clarity and answers for businesses affected by the South Coast sewage problem.
President of the BCCI, Eddy Abed made the suggestion to BWA General Manager, Keithroy Halliday as the Chamber teamed up with the BWA recently to hold a sensitisation meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, for business and property owners on the affected South Coast.
It was towards the end of the meeting that some property owners, inclusive of those who have apartments rented by tourists, raised a concern that not enough was being done to communicate with affected persons in the area, as well as visitors about the ongoing saga. As such, some property owners have taken it upon themselves to try to update visitors about the situation, which at times sees sewage and waste water spilling onto the streets or backing up on properties. It was noted that social media can be a powerful tool and the BWA should look into using this medium to reach out to more persons and to keep them
updated at all times.
Abed told Halliday that whilst the BWA may not always have all the answers, what people want is facts and so, the communication must be better.
“You need to schedule press conferences every two weeks to get your message out, so that people are informed; that we become your best advocates, we tell the tourists, we tell our customers that you know, they are working on it,” Abed remarked.
He also stressed, “This is a national crisis. This requires resources from the Treasury. It’s not good enough that the Water Authority has to wait on a relevant ministry to give it the necessary resources it requires. This needs whatever is necessary to put it right and whatever we in the private sector can do to push this along, to get it closer to the finish line; I stand here as the President of the Chamber, to tell you that we will most definitely assist”.
He however stressed that once the country gets through this, such a situation must “never ever, happen again”.
Halliday meanwhile acknowledged the need to boost the BWA’s efforts on the communication side, even in the area of social media.
“I would say that we have been working on the communication… but we need to do more, certainly where the social media is concerned. We have accepted that and at the board level and at my level, there has been support for that. A social media coordinator is supposed to be appointed either this week or next week, to drive that,” Halliday stated. (RSM)