HMP to be fully equipped with running water

The Superintendent of Prisons, Albert Wade has lauded the efforts currently under way to make running water available in all areas of Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) by early next month.
At the same time, he is also anticipating that stalled construction work at the institution will resume shortly.
While noting that the lack of running water has negatively impacted the efficient functioning of the prison for years, Wade said there is still much to be done to improve the conditions for the staff and inmates within the penal institution, a release from the Communications Department in the Ministry of Public Safety and Labour said yesterday.
The communiqué noted that water is already flowing through the pipes on the female and juvenile blocks, as well as other areas of HMP, and the final laying of pipes on the compound should be completed shortly as most of the more difficult preparatory work will be finished by the end of this week.
The water pipes are being laid by inmates at HMP with the help, and under the supervision of staff of the Ministry of Works and Housing.
Special Projects Coordinator within the Ministry of Works and Housing, Phillip Isaacs said that once all the pipes have been laid, work on other parts of the prison, particularly the temporary kitchen area, can be completed.
He added that plans also include building a cistern large enough to supply HMP with the commodity whenever pipe-borne water — supplied by the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) — is unavailable.
Isaacs noted that this was a necessity since the prison experiences the same challenges faced by the rest of the island due to the rationing of water by APUA.