BELIZE CITY – A severe sanitation emergency unfolded at the Belize City bus terminal over the weekend as raw sewage overflowed from drainage systems, contaminating street surfaces and creating hazardous public health conditions. This incident occurs several months after the Ministry of Transport committed to comprehensive terminal upgrades that were intended to address exactly these types of infrastructure failures.
Transport Ministry CEO Chester Williams attributed the overflow to exceptional rainfall volumes experienced throughout recent weeks. While confirming that immediate cleanup operations have been conducted using sewer trucks to extract the waste, Williams acknowledged the terminal’s longstanding sanitation deficiencies.
The promised renovation project, which includes installation of four new bathroom facilities and flood prevention measures, remains in preliminary development phases despite allocated funding already being approved. Infrastructure Ministry engineers and architects have conducted site assessments, but the project awaits final architectural drawings and quantity bills before tender documents can be prepared.
Notably, renovation work has already commenced at the Belmopan Bus Terminal, with Belize City’s improvements expected to follow subsequently. Williams expressed hope that the delayed upgrades would materialize ‘sooner rather than later’ to prevent recurrence of such public health hazards.