MEP leader Evelyn Wever-Croes is calling for urgent action on the aging Bubali wastewater plant, arguing that Aruba needs a fully new treatment facility rather than continued delay. Her comments were delivered during the party’s weekly press conference and reported by Diario.
MEP points to age and daily treatment load
Wever-Croes said the Bubali facility is 54 years old and was built in 1972 to process 4,500 cubic metres of wastewater per day. She said it now handles between 8,000 and 9,000 cubic metres daily, which is substantially above its original design capacity.
According to the MEP leader, privatization of the wastewater operation was intended to provide access to financing for urgent maintenance, reduce recurring odor problems and support construction of a modern plant sized for Aruba’s current needs.
Questions raised over tourism-fee revenue
Wever-Croes said AWSS has the authority to collect US$20 from each tourist entering Aruba. Using an annual total of approximately 1.5 million visitors, she estimated that the charge would generate about US$30 million, or more than Afl. 50 million.
She asked how the revenue has been used and said the odor problem remains unresolved. She also asserted that, based on the most recent information provided to Parliament, a completely new plant is no longer included in current planning.
The MEP leader framed the issue as an infrastructure, environmental and public-health concern. She called for transparency over AWSS revenue and for the government to resume an urgent plan for a new treatment facility. The revenue figures and operational claims in the report are attributed to Wever-Croes and were not independently audited in the source article.
Source: Diario’s report on MEP’s call for action at the Bubali plant.
