 Welcome to NTIA Nightly, I am General Norville, this edition's top stories. The first phase of disilting the John Compton dams complete. The Ministry of Education to implement a comprehensive strategy for the safety of students and caring for those entrusted with the health and wellness of the nation. Significant infrastructure investment in the island's water sector continues to roll out with the completion of the first phase of the John Compton dam disilting project. Herzanise Antoine with the details. The first phase of the John Compton dam project saw the removal of the sediments around the dam wall to clear the lower abstraction port with the overall aim of increasing the plant's water reserve capacity. The John Compton dam had accumulated over 1.7 million cubic metres of silt over the years, displacing over 400 million gallons of water. According to the head of the project management unit at Wascot, Gordon Wike, a large share of the silt can be credited to the passage of devastating hurricanes and tropical storms, including Hurricane Thomas in 2010 and Tropical Storm Debbie in 1994. Our dressing therefore took place from about October of last year till about February of this year, where we were able to remove about 85,000 cubic metres of sediment from the reservoir itself so that reservoir immediately has more capacity and it allowed us to clear that lower port completely so that lower port is now available for use. So along with this of course is that we had to take the sediment from here and place it at what is known as the sediment disposal area. That area, so that the sediment is now there, that area was completed in January of this year and our comedy is the sediment we have removed. So the project in its initial phases is now fully complete with the successful removal of sediment, clearing the lower port and the building of the sediment disposal area. Chairman of the board of directors of the Water and Sewage Company, Wascot, Francis Denbow explains that there is still a large amount of sediment to be removed which may take up to approximately 10 years. Wascot's immediate goal however is to extract an additional 300,000 cubic metres of sediment. And to illustrate the amount of silt, it's the equivalent of roughly 50 football fields, each football field filled with 20 feet of silt. So that's a tremendous amount of silt that has to be desilted or extracted from the ground to go into the sediment disposal area. And there is no way that this could be done within one year or two years. It's a long process. It's a long process between one year to ultimately 10 years, 8 to 10 years to do that process. And why? In any one year you could only extract roughly 200,000 cubic metres of silt and you could only do that during the rainy season. You cannot extract silt from the dam during the dry season or during the drought. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Cooperatives Honourable Ezekiel Joseph expressed his satisfaction with the work done by the Wascot team and contractors saying that the milestones achieved thus far on this initiative ties into the broader programme agenda for development within the sector. I mean it was very challenging and like we just said a while ago we have no control over the weather and when we gave a contract to do the construction of the sediment disposal area we targeted to coincide with the dry season. Unfortunately that year it was not a traditional dry season, it was a rainy season and with the contractor unfortunately it was almost one year of long time as it pertains to the impact of the rain that affected the drought. But I must say it's something new to us in the region and we have learned from the experience and we are able to accomplish it because they have been talked from since Thomas 2010 as far as regaining the John Compton Dam. The second phase of the John Compton Dam Dissilton project is expected to commence in approximately three months. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Following a rash of attacks in the education sector, officials of the Ministry of Education have been holding talks with key partner agencies on strategies to keep students safe. More from Homer de Mark. A safety network for students is being created in response to a recent spate of attacks on students in District 3. The Ministry of Education first met with the Royal St Lucia Police Force to solicit their assistance. In the second phase of the creation of this network, the Ministry held a meeting with stakeholders. Dr Fiona Philip Meyer is the Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education. As mentioned last week we met with the police, a very fruitful meeting out of which came quite strategic plans to support our students and their well-being. Today we're meeting with the transport services, as well as the police are represented. We have our Chief Transport Officer with us, principals are there as well, because we want to make sure that everybody works together for the good, not only of our students, for the wider community. School Health Safety Officer, Binesh Kodra, explained the meeting allowed stakeholders to discuss solutions to maintain the safety of students outside the school grounds. In out of our meeting last week, we have already seen an increase in the presence of the police on the various bus stops. We have devised creative ways with the police in terms of keeping our students safe, both on the way to school and from school. So we have several initiatives that we have already implemented and we are looking to sustain most of those initiatives so that everybody would feel safe, whether they are going to school or coming from school. Identifying that the transport sector plays a prudent role in meeting the school, students will be encouraged to utilise the school shuttle system instead of walking to and from school. The way we do that is by having the school have a proper plan, working with the principal, the students, the teachers, as well as the parents. The parents also have a very important part to play and that is to encourage the children to at least take the public bus or at least communicate with the said associations who need help and who doesn't need help. The Royal St. Lucia Police Force has increased patrols at bus stops. Acting Inspector of Police Calyxtus-Charles-Mines says, although their resources are limited, they are committed to playing their part in the safety of students. When we were invited to the meeting, we brainstormed the ways in which we can assist in the situation as it is presently on that area of Waterworks-Lesson area. Our main focus will be traffic patrol. We have also identified as to what means we are going to take them in that area. Nina Kodra Eugene, Acting Chief Transport Officer, ensured that the ministry will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to maintain the student safety network. From the Government Information Service, I am Hmerdi Mark reporting. In light of the challenges brought forward by COVID-19, Marcy Store St. Lucia Limited, in collaboration with the Love St. Lucia Initiative, is providing local manufacturers and suppliers on island with additional support. The largest retailer and supermarket chain in the Caribbean has chosen to help over a dozen micro-small and medium-sized enterprises develop and improve their business operations in 2021. We have more in this report. The rebranded by local campaign dubbed Love St. Lucia was launched in June last year by the Ministry of Commerce in collaboration with Marcy Stores, among other public and private sector partners. The campaign aims to build resilience in the St. Lucia economy by maximising the potential of local industry, improving consumer awareness and increasing domestic market share of local manufacturers and service providers. Division head for merchandise, local supplier relations and sales, Linda Oje, says Marcy Stores has always worked very closely with local manufacturers and suppliers so it was only natural that the company would back the initiative. We believe that we owe it to the public to have the St. Lucia product and we also encourage the growth of our St. Lucia manufacturers and suppliers. According to Mrs. Oje, since the larger companies tend to already have the infrastructure, Marcy Stores will collaborate more with the smaller and medium-sized suppliers to develop and improve their business operations. We have a lot of small and medium suppliers with great ideas, young people who want to start a new business and have also seen the dearth in the market of certain products and want to do some things but they need guidance. So these are the people we really try to work with and in various ways. They come to us, we give them ideas of what products we're looking for because we can't have everybody just doing the same product and you'll find in some categories that we really have only one choice or even two choices and maybe they're just imported. Two of the suppliers featured for the year thus far are Artizal Pastry Limited and Vegan Ice Cream Maker's Two Scoops. Artizal Pastries owned by husband and wife Michelle and Gail Reggie, who with the help of a handful of staff produce a line of freshly baked quality French pastries with no preservatives. I feel very happy that I'm able to do something that people enjoy, something different, something that I'm proud of, something that I know it's healthy and it's something that is available overseas and then I'm happy that we can bring it here so that everybody can taste a little of what's in Martinique or even in France at a reasonable price. The owners of Two Scoops, Didymouth Mayors and Deborah and I are the only producers of vegan ice cream on Ireland. What inspired their journey, Ms. Donais says, was the need to come up with a product that people who are lactose intolerant could still enjoy. May working at the hotels and realizing how many people are actually going down the vegan road now and we basically didn't have much vegan products that way in St. Lucia. So I decided to try my hand at coming up with the local flavor ice creams and get a particular base, vegan milk base, a plant-based milk I should say that would work for ice creams that will get a nice creamy product and we came up with what we have right now. Nurses around the island receive care packages as a token of gratitude and support for the work they continue to do. The St. Lucia Nurses Association recently presented care packages to the nurses at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex expressing appreciation for their commitment to the profession. Permanent Secretary and the Ministry of Health Benson Emel expressed heartfelt gratitude to the nurses for the services they extend to the public. St. Lucia is grateful as an institution in the Millennium Heights Medical Complex, grateful as a Ministry of Health and Wellness, eternally grateful for the services that you provide and the services that you continue to provide. As much as possible we will support you in your endeavor but we know that you are the ones on the ground, you are the ones making the commitment, you are the ones making the self-sacrifice every day to ensure that we care for our citizens also in Lucia. Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Heights Medical Complex, Siobhan James Alexander says she's extremely proud of the nurses and will continue working with them to bring about success. It's indeed a pleasure that we're standing here, that I am standing here and recognizing your efforts the last year I am sure has been overwhelming and we must recognize your dedication, your loyalty, your selflessness and I think sometimes these things go unheard of and unspoken about but we need to always celebrate our key wins and for us to actually achieve what we've done over the year despite all odds is significant and so for now I want us to celebrate that win let's give ourselves a tap on the back and say thank you the nurses have been phenomenal. President of the St. Lucian Nurses Association Alicia Baptiste saluted the nurses and asked them to continue being indispensable reporting from the communications unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness I am Fennel Neptune. One week Monday St. Lucian's at home and abroad unified by their Christian faith observed the national day of prayer and fasting, prayers and thanksgiving declared by Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Shastney and the Government of St. Lucia. The observance featured participation from all faith-based organizations with church services, gospel performances, prayers, spoken word and testimonies. In virtual form the events were carried live via the national television network, nurse stations and through live streaming. In his address during the national observance the Prime Minister explained that given the challenges of the pandemic and tensions surrounding the upcoming general election it was determined that the country needed to seek God. At the time we are about to embark on a general election we need to invoke the virtues of wisdom, tolerance and mutual respect and tone down the volume of the heightened rhetoric, senseless threats and bickering and occasional tension that we have grown all too accustomed to. We need to thank God for his goodness towards us that we have not been overwhelmed by the virus. But we also need to understand we are still under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and it remains a clear and present danger. We need to petition the Lord for his blessings so we employ the discipline and practice that are designed to ensure our safety and the welfare of our families. During Monday's broadcast various religious figures addressed the viewership on approaching the day seriously. Emmanuel Charles is the pastor at the Faith Baptist Church in Corinth, Grosile. We are engaging in conduct that God does not like and regardless how much we fast today is the day of prayer and fasting but if there is wickedness in our hearts, if there is wickedness in our intention, if there is wickedness in our behavior God will not hear us even though we fast God will call this a mockery. The 11-hour live broadcast of prayer and fasting prayers and worship was aired on week Monday. On the 22nd of May, St. Lucia joined the global community in observing International Day for Biological Diversity and the theme were part of the solution. The UN designation is focused on issues of climate change, food and water security, health and sustainable livelihoods. International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated annually on May 22, is geared towards increasing the understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year's theme were part of the solution, was chosen to be a continuation of the momentum generated in 2020 under the overarching theme, Our Solutions Are in Nature, which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges. Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS's technical specialists in the Environment and Sustainability Division, General Gabriel, stated that humans depend on biodiversity for a number of things, including food, shelter and livelihoods, and sometimes it is hard to maintain the balance. We rely on these resources, so we need trees to build our homes, we need clean water to bathe and to drink, and so sometimes we have over exploited some of these resources. Sometimes we have bad farming practices which deplete our soils of the nutrients which we need, it depletes it of some of those beneficial viruses and bacteria and microorganisms which we need, so our actions have sometimes had impacts on biodiversity and so that's why we can come in now and be the solution by changing our own human behavior. From nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon which humans can build back better. Acting Chief Forestry Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and Cooperatives, Alwyn Donnelly explained that programs have been put in place to preserve biodiversity. The Forestry Department has had this program of selective harvesting, for example, you know, in the forest, you know, people who were into housemaking and timber production went into selective harvesting, so there were certain criteria that we would use to be able to sell trees. If the species had been, we had found that it had been over harvested, then, you know, in certain locations we would not remove remaining individuals, you know, we would also look at the topographic area, how close it is, you know, to water sources and even has been so specific that if you remove one tree, what damage that it will cause, you know, to the micro-climate, so we did those things. Biodiversity looks at the human well-being in the present and in the future and its rapid decline threatens nature and people alike. According to the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in 2019, by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at UNESCO, the main global drivers of biodiversity loss are climate change, invasive species, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and urbanization. From the Government Information Service, I am Janelle Norville. This is NTIA Nightly. Up next, Primus Hutchinson with the NTIA Nouvelle Aquial. Be aware of and follow water conservation practices. Here are a few tips to help you save water. Wash dishes in a basin of water instead of a running tap. Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while scraping them. Check toilets for leaks by putting dye in the tank. If color shows in the bowl without flushing, there is a leak. A leaking toilet can waste thousands of gallons of water. Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash cars and reuse grey water from laundry to water plants. Water conservation reduces energy consumption and strain on the water distribution system. Conserve water whenever possible and remember every job counts. A message brought to you by the Water and Sewage Company Incorporated, Wash School. Welcome back. We join Primus Hutchinson for the NTIA Nouvelle Aquial. 我是 Madame Departement Université pour la formation, In order to embrace the spirit of love, there is also a way that God can help us. Prime Minister Shasni called on the 23rd of March 2021 to observe the national youth of Puy-yeh, this year, which will be held on the 24th of May 2021. Prime Minister Ferec-Opren, we are proud to have you here in Moussala, in the midst of our children, schools and communities. We are proud to have you here in West Tchatchil, to hold our hands with the old Commissaration and to let the spirit of love be here. We are proud to have you here in Puy-yeh, to hold your elections. Prime Minister Shasni, we are proud to have you here in Chosé, to hold the pandemic here, and to stay here. We are proud to have you here in Moussala, to hold our children here, and to keep them here in Tchatchil. We are proud to have you here in Moussala, to hold our children here in Puy-yeh, to hold our children here in Tchatchil. could even continue to protect the country. This is a bad job. And to help this country adopt a good principle, and to continue to follow all the protocols that will help protect our country from the corona virus, I would like to thank all of this country for their support. And I would like to thank the petition to support this country, for its benefit, for its protection, for the peace and for the love. Minister of Affairs, I would like to thank you for your work. I announced that you can start your work, and I have started my work with the project of the government of the United Nations that started to form the 25th of May 2021 to help improve the traffic movement more easily and to limit the number of people who have completed the work with ease, but with protection and caution to warm up the people who are trying to cross the road. The work has been done in three phases to reduce the risk of restrictions for people who have navigated to their homes, and also to facilitate the operation of businesses and support services. The first phase is for people who have gone to their homes to take these packages that I had before and to build another package and also to build a total of nine. I would like to thank Kali for encouraging people who have served in their homes to have a good approach and to follow the direction of your work and to follow the staff who have committed to the project. They have also been able to navigate to the city of Meyodian to the project. Kali Construction Services Limited who has been working for this project has been working for three months since the beginning of the year. The cultivator figs, the farmer figs here are supposed to be delivered right away. They have been working for the people who have already been working for this project. The Ministry of Sustainability and Agriculture has been working for this project. Kiel Joseph declared that the government has decided to extend this project for the farmer figs after such a long time that they have to work for this project. The Ministry of Agriculture has been working for this project to be carried out in the comfort of the NFTO organization. The Ministry of Education has been working for this project that is to be carried out in the strict NFTO organization. We want good information and to know which bank accounts are well-known and we want management because we are not in the business of management. We want management and we advise that the system is in place who will answer directly to pay the farmers that are atikakada. We pay it to seven, eight weeks because we can move at least $500,000 advance to pay farmers directly. Of course, the staff will be paid in error. Minister, we call the FECO point of order. The director of the organization, Pa and Wita, will receive the primary. This information when the director is currently payment you, the farmers are standing for payment. It's not right. He can't write. It's not right. It's not right. It's information. So, I'm not going to pay the farmers. Just you and me, you are the directors. You can't write. 20, 20 weeks. So, the director of the organization, the NPA and the farmers are the directors. How can we feel comfortable to put the NNF, to pay the farmers that are atikakada? We talked about this. The Minister of Agriculture announced that he will pass and receive the information that the NNF has chosen yourself to assist the NNF. And after the march is done, to legitimate the operation of the NNF Salah. Because the NNF has changed to join Salah with legal approval. If the farmers, even the avocados, they can be charged. They can be charged. And from there, we have a legal entity. We have a government government to cut the farmers to the NNF. But notwithstanding that, the NNF also said that we have to pay the farmers to buy the farmers that are atikakada. We have to pay all the farmers that are atikakada, but to buy the farmers that are atikakada. The NNF said that based on the information that the NNF has done, the NNF has done this. Because the NNF has over $500,000 in advance. And the government has approved the $4.5 million. So we have at least $500,000 to pay farmers. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank the Minister of Agriculture for the help of the farmers. I would like to thank the Minister of Agriculture for the help of the NNF. I would like to thank the Minister of Agriculture for the help of the NNF. I would like to invite you to come to the NNF and see what you can do with the NNF. I would like to thank you, gentlemen.