Honourable Senator Clement Marcellin and Honourable Senator Cassani Laville have disagreed over the expenditure figures released by the government for river dredging.
The government stated that the total Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the 2018/2019 period amounted to over EC$322,193 million and that this includes the sum of EC$104 million expended on dredging the river.
Senator Marcellin said he is “appaled at the significant spending on dredging of rivers,” saying it is exceptionally high and even unnecessary in the first place. He said people should have focused on the foresty instead of the rivers, adding it is best to focus on the cause rather than the effect.
“The absence of the forest would mean that the impacts of raindrops would be much more on the surface…and then you have more water in the channels,” he said. “So I am of the view that perhaps if at least a portion of that EC$104 million was assigned towards forestry, then we would be able to see sustainable actions at protecting our lives…”
Senator Laville countered that dredging the rivers was necessary in the light of the accumulation of silt, stones, and other debris that had clogged the river channels. He said every amount spent on the dredging was necessary and justifiable given that the people need the dredging to be done.
“So this government is a government that responds to the people’s needs, and these responses included acting in an emergency situation which is exactly what we did,” Laville said. “We are not a small shop, don’t be baffled by $185 million, we’re talking of building a dynamic Dominica…a resilient Dominica, and we’re counting pennies…”
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