A private sector group is backing St Lucia's move to privatise the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), though it accepts that the commodity will be more costly for residents as a result.

"Why do you expect that you must get water at the same price today that you got it last year or 10 years ago?," demanded Brian Lousy, executive director of the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, in a CMC interview.

"We say that water is life and if it is that important a commodity then you must be prepared to pay for it so as to ensure that it is used sustainably."

A public debate on the implications of the plan has been raging on the island for weeks, even as government moves ahead with the tendering process in search of an investor.

Protest groups, spearheaded by the Civil Society Network of St Lucia, have been holding public meetings across the country to generate opposition to the plan.

The groups say that privatisation will jack up the price of water and make it difficult for the poor, in particular, to afford the commodity.

But Louisy noted that anytime a commodity such as water is priced too low, wastage is the result, because people are unaware of its true value.

Priced too high

He conceded, however, that when it is priced too high persons in depressed communities will not have access to it.

"So we need to strike a balance and that's the discussion that we need to have," he said.

"What is this balance? The same people who are complaining that the poor would suffer with privatisation and would not get water, must realise that the poor are already not receiving water."

He said a reasonable compromise must be found to pay for the commodity while, at the same time, ensuring that the government's coffers are responsibly managed.

There should be a balance

"So there should be a balance, but if you have already taken the position not to subsidise and it has to generate its own income, then you have to privatise," Louisy added.

The private sector representative said that privatisation of WASCO was in the cards from government went the route of making it a corporation.

"Let no one fool you, that's exactly what it is. The question now is: How do you make that work? To make it work, the country needs to obtain private sector money, as well as contributions from the public," he said.

"In all of this, there are many ways of achieving a balance to ensure that people always have water at their disposal."