CAWASA e-Source Newsletter - Issue 5 : January - June 2013

July to September 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 3Caribbean Water and Sewage Association Inc.

In thIs IssueSecretariat News Page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 Dominica launches US$7.4 million water project Page 8 2013 World Water Day Feature Pages 10 - 12Rate Increases with Popular Participation Page 13

150,000-gallon tank to provide daily ‘life water’ to 3,000 Page 14 Bottled Water quality being assessed for approval Page 15

In thIs Issue

January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)Caribbean Water and Sewage Association Inc.

CAWASA Secretariat News Pages 2 and 3Cayenne hosted successful 11th Water Week Pages 3 and 4 Pure Water Page 52013 World Water Day Feature Pages 6, 7 and 10

Caribbean Water Operators Networked and Competed in Antigua Pages 8 and 9 A Tribute to Mr. Denis Yearwood Page 11 $700,00 tank to serve 3,000 with daily ‘life water’ Page 12 What a wonderful water week Back Page

Engineers, water and waste-water operators, water and waste labora-

tory analysts, stakeholders and other water and waste-water in-dustry professionals from utili-ties across the Caribbean gath-ered in Antigua and Barbuda at the end of June for their Third Annual Caribbean Water Op-erators Conference. The conference was held at the island’s Jolly Beach Resort on June 27 and 28 to discuss matters relating to their profes-sional and organizational re-sponsibilities across the region. The theme for the two-day conference was Water Re-use: Contributing to Efficient Use of Water Resources for a Healthy Environment. The 2013 Water Operators Conference was jointly spon-sored by the host utility -- the Antigua Public Utilities Author-ity (APUA) – as well as by the Caribbean Water and Waste-water Association (CAWASA) and the Caribbean Regional

Caribbean Water Operators Network in Antigua

Fund for Waste Water Management (CReW) Project. The opening session of the con-ference was addressed by Antigua’s Public Utilities Minister, as well as representatives of the sponsoring agencies, while the feature address will be by Don Degan of Water and Waste Water Solutions (WWWS) in Canada, who spoke on Internation-al Perspectives on Water Re-use. The conference served to update the knowledge and skills of water and waste water operators through interaction with fellow operators and professionals; and to provide them the opportunity to access, view and share the latest ideas in techni-cal equipment, technology, products and services with suppliers. It also provided Caribbean opera-tors with the opportunity to share their experiences in preparation for the Operators Certification Exami-nations, as well as to showcase their presentation skills through profes-sional presentations and competi-tive activities. The Antigua meeting also al-lowed participants to showcase

their technical skills through the Operators Competition and to identify emerging trends in the water and wastewater industry. Among other issues consid-ered by the delegates were: The Enabling Environment for Wa-ter and Waste Water Services, Water Quality in the Region, Application of Waste Water Re-use and Utility Development Issues. The CAWASA Secretariat was represented by Executive Director Victor Poyotte and Pro-gram Officer Suzanne Joseph and water operators attended from across the Caribbean. Participants expressed satisfac-tion with the proceedings of their third annual conference and par-ticularly welcomed the launch-ing at the conference of the first edition of H2Operator, the new magazine being published by CAWASA with assistance from CReW and the various CAWASA affiliates. (More on Pages 2, 8, and 9)

The last strategic plan devel-oped by the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Ltd (DOWASCO) covered a three-year period starting from 1st April 2007 and ending on 31st March 2009. In 2013, some four (4) years after the plan expired, the Board and man-agement made a decision to update it. At the request of DOWASCO, the Executive Director of CA-WASA agreed to review all ac-tivities undertaken since the ex-piration of the plan. The purpose of the exercise was to determine the status of implementation of all post-plan activities, assess the

performance of the utility and to up-date the plan. In developing the strategic plan, the consultant took a five-prong ap-proach which involved an analysis of base documents made available by the management of DOWASCO. The consultant interviewed person-nel making up the management team of DOWASCO and representatives of key stakeholder organizations. On Wednesday 17th April 2013, the consultant facilitated a one-day stakeholder strategic planning retreat for the company. The retreat was at-tended by thirty-two (32) senior man-agement personnel from DOWASCO and representatives of key stakehold-er organizations.

Following a review of notes compiled from base documents, stakeholder interviews and the stakeholder retreat the consultant compiled a Draft Strategic Plan. A draft version of the strategic plan was submitted to management, Board and other stakeholder rep-resentatives for validation. Based on feedback received, the consultant revised the Draft Stra-tegic Plan to incorporate addition-al information provided. The final version of the Strategic Plan 2013-2018 which outlines strategic pri-orities along with activities to be implemented by DOWASCO was submitted to the management of DOWASCO for approval.

DOWASCO Updates its Strategic Plan

Executive Director of CAWASAVictor Poyotte

$700,00 tank to serve 3,000 with daily ‘life water’

Antigua and Barbuda Minister John maginley addressing the

opening of the conference

Dominica launches US$7.4 million water project150,000-gallon tank to provide daily ‘life water’ to 3,000Bottled Water quality being

assessed for approval

Engineers, water and waste-water operators, water and waste labora-

tory analysts, stakeholders and other water and waste-water in-dustry professionals from utili-ties across the Caribbean gath-ered in Antigua and Barbuda at the end of June for their Third Annual Caribbean Water Op-erators Conference. The conference was held at the island’s Jolly Beach Resort on June 27 and 28 to discuss matters relating to their profes-sional and organizational re-sponsibilities across the region. The theme for the two-day conference was Water Re-use: Contributing to Efficient Use of Water Resources for a Healthy Environment. The 2013 Water Operators Conference was jointly spon-sored by the host utility -- the Antigua Public Utilities Author-ity (APUA) – as well as by the Caribbean Water and Waste-water Association (CAWASA) and the Caribbean Regional

Fund for Waste Water Management (CReW) Project. The opening session of the con-ference was addressed by Anti-gua’s Tourism Minister, Mr John Maginley, as well as representa-tives of the sponsoring agencies, while the feature address will be by Don Degan of Water and Waste Water Solutions (WWWS) in Can-ada, who spoke on International Perspectives on Water Re-use. The conference served to up-date the knowledge and skills of water and waste water operators through interaction with fellow operators and professionals; and to provide them the opportunity to access, view and share the latest ideas in technical equipment, tech-nology, products and services with suppliers. It also provided Caribbean opera-tors with the opportunity to share their experiences in preparation for the Operators Certification Exami-nations, as well as to showcase their presentation skills through profes-sional presentations and competi-tive activities.

The Antigua meeting also al-lowed participants to showcase their technical skills through the Operators Competition and to identify emerging trends in the water and wastewater industry. Among other issues consid-ered by the delegates were: The Enabling Environment for Water and Waste Water Services, Wa-ter Quality in the Region, Appli-cation of Waste Water Reuse and Utility Development Issues. The CAWASA Secretariat was represented by Executive Director Victor Poyotte and Pro-gram Officer Suzanne Joseph and water operators attended from across the Caribbean. Participants expressed satis-faction with the proceedings of their third annual conference and particularly welcomed the launching at the conference of the first edition of H2Operator, the new magazine being pub-lished by CAWASA with assis-tance from CReW and the vari-ous CAWASA affiliates. (More on Pages 2, 8, and 9).

Antigua and Barbuda MinisterJohn Maginley addressing the

opening of the conference

e-SourcePage 2 January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

The hosting of a two-day Caribbean Water Operators’ Conference is an important feature on the annual calen-

dar of activities of the CAWASA Secretariat. After a one year hiatus in 2012 due mainly to resource constraints we at CAWASA are indeed grateful for the opportunity to part-ner with “The Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW)” to make the third conference a reality. In this regard, I must express our deep-est appreciation to Chris Corbin of UNEP Caribbean Office and Denise Forest, the CReW Project Coordinator for demon-strating support for the efforts of the CAWASA Secretariat to uplift the profes-sional standing of Caribbean Water Op-erators. One direct influence of this part-nership is the deliberate selection of the conference theme “Water Reuse: Contrib-uting to Efficient Use of Water Resources for a Healthy Environment.” We see this conference as providing Water Operators from the Caribbean with a unique opportunity to:• Make independent technical presenta-

tions highlighting technological devel-opments in the water sector;

• Make joint technical presentations with representatives of Associate Members who are involved in the implementa-tion of projects related to the provision of water and sewerage services;

• Share experiences and ideas on ways of improving the work of Operators, An-alysts and Technicians as professionals in their own right; and

Since joining the CAWASA Secre-tariat, I have placed a great deal of emphasis on improving the com-

petences and professionalism of Water Operators from member utilities. I chose this approach because it is my firm belief that the day-to-day work performed by Operators is of the utmost importance to the delivery of quality water service. As a key stakeholder group, the Opera-tors are fully involved in managing the collection of water at the intakes, super-vising water storage facilities, treating of water at the treatment plants, testing the quality of water at the laboratories and coordinating the distribution of water that flows through the various systems. In 2003, the Secretariat entered into an

agreement with the Association of the Board of Certification (ABC) to provide testing services in support of the annual Operator Examination and Certification programme. Five years ago, the Secretariat initiated the Caribbean Water Operators’ Confer-ence to provide a forum for Operators to network and share knowledge, skills and experiences. This inaugural issue of the H2O Opera-tor Caribbean magazine is yet another ma-jor initiative taken by CAWASA aimed at highlighting the role of Water Operators in the water sector. The Secretariat wants to take this op-portunity to encourage Water Operators to make full use of the magazine as a me-

H20Another valuable CAWASA initiative

H2Operator Volume 1 Issue 1 2013 1

C A R I B B E A N

PROFILE Brief Profile of the organization:

CAWASA INC.The Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association Inc. CAWASA), is a regional association of thir-teen (13) water and sewerage utilities in the Carib-bean. CAWASA was incorporated in St Lucia in May 2010 as the successor to the Caribbean Basin Water Management Programme Inc (CBWMP Inc) which was incorporated in St Lucia in November 2001.

WHO SHOULD BE CERTIFIEDOperators, Analysts of water and wastewater utili-ties, hotels, breweries, other water related groups and independent candidates who meet the education and operating experience requirements.

STEPS TO BECOME A CERTIFIED OPERATOR1. Apply to CAWASA2. Register for Tutorials3. Submit application4. Pay Exam fees5. Take the Exam

EXAMINATION ROLE OF THE OPERATOR/ANALYSTPre-examination Role•Take an interest in your professional developmentand in the certification programme;•Participate in training and other scheduledactivities in preparation for the examination;•Obtain all text books and study materialrecommended for examination preparation;•Utilize all training facilities made available by theUtility/organization in support of examinationpreparation;•Register and sit the examination in accordancewith instructions provided by the CAWASA

Post-examination Role•Register for remedial training if unsuccessful in the examinations;•Continue professional development after receiving certification;•Participate in professional development activitiesfor 2.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) overthe two years;•Submit a completed renewal application formalong with the renewal fee and relevant documen-tation no later than six (6) months before the expirydate of the certificate.

WHY CERTIFICATION?To Perform your job Better!Advance your Career!

COURSES OFFERED

CLASSES I—IV1. Water Distribution2. Water Treatment3. Wastewater Treat-ment4. Collection5. Water Laboratory6. Wastewater Labora-tory7. Very Small Water System8. Small Wastewater System

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: Career Advancement opportunities Higher Wage earning opportunities Competitive advantage of non-certified Operators Recognition as a professional Operator

EMPLOYER BENEFITS: Cadre of certified professionals Motivate employees to expand

knowledge/skills Increase competence level of employees Ensure continuing education for

employees

Volume 1 • Issue 1 Annual Newsletter of the Water Industry Operators of the Caribbean June 2013

persons working within and outside of the water sector. By contributing articles on national or regional projects imple-mented, they can demonstrate how the water-related challenges encountered were tackled and solved, clarify their role as water sector professionals, up-date readers on progress made with the certification examinations and with the application of the knowledge and skills acquired. I also wish to point out that Mrs. Su-zanne Joseph, Programme Officer at-tached to the CAWASA Secretariat, de-serves all credit for the publication of this magazine. She came up with the idea and coordinated the activities related to this inaugural issue. Kudos to her, are fully in order. Now, it’s my distinct pleasure to in-vite you to find and read this first edition from cover to end and to share the con-tents with others.

Victor PoyotteExecutive Director, CAWASA

CAWASA Secretariat NewsTwo enjoyable days of Networking!

Following is the full text of the official Conference Overview of the Third Annual Caribbean Water Operators’ Conference held in St. John’s, Antigua on June

27th and 28th 2013 delivered by the CAWASA Executive Director.• Offer solutions to many of the chal-

lenges facing Caribbean water and sewerage utilities.

On behalf of the CAWASA Secretariat I am also pleased to announce the intro-duction of the first issue of the Carib-bean H2Operator. From 2014 onwards, we intend to publish this document as an Annual Magazine to highlight the work undertaken by regional Operators in the course of delivering water and sewerage services to citizens of the Caribbean. Let me take advantage of this oppor-tunity to congratulate Mrs. Suzanne Jo-seph, Program Officer at the CAWASA Secretariat on the successful publication of the magazine. It was her idea and she deserves full credit for seeing the initia-tive through. The conference is also an opportunity to bring you up to date with the perfor-mance of Operators in the annual certifi-cation examinations held twice a year in February and June. As you may know CAWASA offers certi-fication examinations in seven (7) categories namely: water treatment, water distribution, water laboratory, wastewater treatment, col-lection and very small water systems. In six (6) of the above-mentioned categories, Wa-ter Operators/Analysts are allowed to reg-ister to sit examinations in four (4) different classes ranging from Levels 1-1V but in the case of “Very Small Water Systems” the ex-aminations is in Level 1 only. In the ten years since the introduction of the certification examinations a total

of three hundred and twenty-nine (329) Operators have successfully completed the annual examinations and qualified for certification. Of these, twenty-one (21) Operators have completed Level 3while nine (9) have completed Level 4. Of significance to you is that the perfor-mance in the field of wastewater manage-ment is to say the least very discouraging for CAWASA. The statistics show that, while only two operators have completed Level 3 in Wastewater Treatment none have reached Level 4. In the Wastewater Collection category two Operators have completed Level 3 while only one has reached Level 4. With regards to Wastewater Laboratory, one Operator has completed Level 3 and one has reached Level 4. Over the next two days the conference will focus on four sub-themes as follows: The enabling environment for delivering efficient water and wastewater services; Regional water quality; The application of wastewater reuse; and Utility develop-ment initiatives. Another major feature of the confer-ence is a Business Session which is in-tended to allow CAWASA’s Associates operating in the sector to make presenta-tions on various topics relating to projects being implemented or other organiza-tional activities. In this regard, I wish to acknowledge the support of Seven Seas Water, Cole En-gineering, Singer Valve, WASA-Trinidad, and Theobalds Engineering.

Finally, the conference offers Operators the opportunity to showcase their techni-cal knowledge and skills by participating in a few specialized competitive engage-ments. This will be followed by a site visit to a reverse osmosis plant. In closing, I must point out that the Program Officer Secretariat worked very closely with the host utility, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA). Let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ivan Rodrigues and his administra-tive and technical support staff for their valuable assistance thus far with the ar-rangements for the conference. It will be remiss of me if I did not take time off to recognize the hard work put in by Mrs. Suzanne Joseph our Program Officer in order to bring this conference to reality. She singlehandedly coordinated the activities leading up to the conference and as you can expect will continue to administer the affairs of the conference to ensure its eventual success. I look forward to two enjoyable days of networking with participants, presenters and sponsors. Thank You

The Caribbean Desalination Associa-tion hosted a two-day workshop at the University of the Netherlands

Antilles in Curacao, N.A. on June 26-28, 2013. Attendees learned about the impor-tance of comprehensive solutions, effi-cient management systems, plant retrofit-ting opportunities and enjoyed a tour of the RO-Sta. Barbara Facility.

Letter from CaribDA Publications Chair

I hope the year is proving to be a productive and meaningful year so far. I am very pleased to share this April edition of CaribDA, chock full of the regions’ latest business and news re-lated to the desalination industry. But first, I have an interesting technological

breakthrough story that I’d like to talk about. When we refer to water treatment, we think seawater and brackish water desalination, or reuse, right? I can’t help but think that there are other sources out there. In fact, it’s called pro-duced water. Produced water is natural water from underground formations, brought to the surface during oil or gas production. Produced water is one of the potential sources for water treat-ment. According to the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy, the water to oil / gas ratio (WOR) averages seven barrels of water to one of oil. In the worst cases, the WOR reaches 50 to 1. You see, early in the life of an oil well, oil production is high and water produc-tion is low. Over time, oil production de-

creases and water production increases. The cost of managing such a large volume of water is a key consideration to oil and gas producers. Previous nationally pro-duced water volume estimates are in the range of 15 to 20 billion barrels (bbl; 1 bbl = 42 U.S. gallons) generated each year in the United States. This is equivalent to a volume of 1.7 to 2.3 billion gallons per day (CE Clark and Veil – September/2009) Produced water properties (both physical and chemical) and volume vary considerably depending on geo-graphic location of the field, the geo-logical formation, the type of hydro-carbon product being produced, and the lifetime of a reservoir. The major concerns of produced water are: salt content, oil and grease, various natu-ral inorganic, and organic compounds

or chemical additives used in drilling among other processes involved in oil and gas upstream production. There-fore, produced water treatment could be a challenge. I naturally think, are we ready for this new application? Is there a scal-able and environmentally sound so-lution to desalt produced water? For more on this and related topics, see this recent coverage from NBC news. If you have any questions or com-ments, please email me at: [email protected] In the meantime, I hope I’ve given you some food for thought.

Sincerely, Juan Miguel Pinto CaribDA Publications Chair

CaribDA hosts successful Curacao workshop

dium for creating awareness of their job responsibilities. It is anticipated that the Operators will use the magazine as a tool for educating

Antigua’s Tourism Minister John Maginley addressing participants

at the opening ceremony

e-Source Page 3 January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

St Kitts and Nevis, CAWASA and the Caribbean will miss a sterling champion of the water cause in

the twin-island Federation, who left his position as General Manager at the Water Services Department of St Kitts in July 2013 to take up an assignment in the USA. Mr. Cromwell Williams is a qualified Civil Engineer with over 15 years expe-rience in Civil Engineering and Project Management, mainly in Water Supply Management. He also has over 10 years experience in the reviewing and grant-ing permits for land development and construction projects. Mr. Williams served as General Man-ager and Chief Water Engineer of the St. Kitts Water Services Department from July 2001 to July 2013. The util-ity has over 14,000 connections and $8 million in annual sales. He led a team of three Civil Engineers and about 20 technicians in the planning, designing of surface and groundwater systems in a total workforce of 115 employees. He worked as Engineer, St. Kitts Water Services Department from October 1999

to June 2001 and as Engineer, St. Kitts Public Works Department from Sep-tember 1995 to August 1998. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources which from the University of London in September 1999. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering which he obtained from the Faculty of Engineering, Uni-versity of the West Indies based in Trin-idad and Tobago in June of 1995. Professionally, Mr. Williams served as a member of the St. Kitts Building Board from 1995 to 1998; a member of the Caribbean Development Bank - Basic Needs Trust Fund (CDB-BNTF) Project Advisory Committee from 1996 to 1998. He has been a member of the Carib-bean Water and Wastewater Associa-tion (CWWA) from 1999 to the present and served as Vice-President of the As-sociation from 2007-2008 and also rep-resented the St. Kitts Water Services De-partment on the Board of the Caribbean Basin Water Management Programme Inc. (CBWMP), now the Caribbean Wa-

He has a number of accomplishments in the water sector including an analy-sis of projected supply and demand for groundwater from 2000 to 2001, the preparation between 2002 and 2004, of a project proposal to increase ground-water supplies by 25% and supervision of implementation of an US$8 million “Water Supply Improvement Project” involving the procurement of well-drilling equipment, the successful drill-ing of eight wells to increase production capacity by about 1 million gallons per day. Mr. Williams initiated Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the water infrastructure, introduced changes in the revenue collection sys-tem including the use of Handheld De-vices and initiated a number of public awareness campaigns that resulted in reduction in wastage and unaccounted for water. He has attended a number of short courses and workshops relating to wa-ter resources management and has also received a number academic, education and training awards as well as a special commendation from Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Dr. Denzil L. Douglas for initiative in raising public aware-ness of water issues.CAWASA wishes Mr Williams well.

ter and Sewerage Association Inc. (CA-WASA). And he also served as Trea-surer of the CBWMP from 2000 to 2003. Mr. Williams has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a member of St. Kitts De-velopment Control and Planning Board since 2002. He has also functioned as the National Focal Point for UNESCO International Hydrologic Programme (IHP) from 2002 to the present and as National Focal Point for the OAS Inter-American Water Resources Network (IWRN) since 2002.

CAWASA Secretariat NewsCROMWELL WILLIAMS

MOVES ON…

Caribbean delegates from several English, French and Butch-speak-ing islands and territories had a

rare experience earlier this year when they participated in a week of water ac-tivities on the banks of the Maroni River. The President of the Communaute D’Agglomeration de Centre Littoral (CACL) Cayenne, Rodolphe Alexan-dre, invited CAWASA to the 11th Wa-ter Week in Cayenne from April 22-16, 2013. Programme Officer Suzanne Jo-seph attended the Conference on CA-WASA’s behalf. Delegates attended from Martinique, Guadeloupe, Suriname, Santo Domin-go, France, St Lucia, St Martin and Haiti.The opportunity for the CACL, the SI-AEAG and SICSM -- initiators of these days – was afforded with the possibility for institutional partners of the Carib-

Sharing experiences on the banks of the Maroni River

Cayenne hosted successful 11th Water Week with heavy Caribbean participation

bean and the Amazon and professional sanitation, drinking water and waste management, to meet again. Panel discussions, technical visits, sales presentations were among many opportunities to exchange experiences and share knowledge. These days were open to the general public, especially schoolchildren and students training for careers in the environment. An edu-cational exhibition and events were also planned. The AGGLO (urban community cen-ter coast), organized the 11th edition of Water Days from 22 to 26 April 2013 in Cayenne.Indeed, this year CACL had the honor of hosting this event, which annually brings together professionals from the sectors of water, sanitation and waste throughout the Caribbean. 2013 is the International year of co-operation in the field of water and it is natural that the theme of this edition was “Sharing the Amazon Cooperation and the Caribbean”, which promised exchanges and returns particularly rich experience. The CACL is competent in its terri-tory in the management of drinking wa-ter, wastewater and sanitation is fully in this desire: to promote cooperation to meet the challenges of water by an ex-change of innovative practices, sharing of experiences and expertise. Rodolphe Alexandre , President of Community of Agglomération of C between Littoral, invited the public to discover the Zephyr to the water sec-tor and to meet the various professional Antilles and Guyana. This event aimed to raise many challenges and potential of cooperation in the field of water. Several thematic and cultural high-

lights such as conferences, educational and recreational workshops, exhibi-tions and visits were also hosted at the 11th Water day celebrations. The Issues: What are the issues of wa-ter production across the planet? What techniques for sustainable management and quality of the resource? What so-lutions for access to drinking water on our Amazonian territories and the Ca-ribbean? Those were – and still are -- ques-tions that are at the heart of discus-sions at the11th Water Day, organized by the Urban Community Centre coast (CACL) in partnership with inter union of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and SI-AEAG SICSM. An event organized in the framework of the International Year of cooperation in the field of water 2013, the UN’s global organization invited all stakeholders at the national level as local, to lead the dis-cussion on how to manage the absolutely vital resource, highly threatened by hu-man activities and climatic changes. CACL is competent in its territory in the management of drinking water, wastewater and sanitation is fully in this determination: encourage coopera-tion to meet the challenges of the water, by an exchange of innovative practices, sharing of experiences and expertise. Therefore, this event aimed to raise many challenges and potential of coop-eration in the field of water. Some of the visiting Caribbean del-egates were also invited to another community Maripasula and tenwkre’ – an Amerindian village with approxi-mately 200 inhabitants and the invitees had to cross the Maroni River by canoe. (See more Cayenne Coverage on Back Page )

Mr Cromwell Williams

Rodolphe Alexandre

Theme and logo for Cayenne’s 11th Water Week.

e-Source Page 3 January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

St Kitts and Nevis, CAWASA and the Caribbean will miss a sterling champion of the water cause in

the twin-island Federation, who left his position as General Manager at the Water Services Department of St Kitts in July 2013 to take up an assignment in the USA. Mr. Cromwell Williams is a qualified Civil Engineer with over 15 years expe-rience in Civil Engineering and Project Management, mainly in Water Supply Management. He also has over 10 years experience in the reviewing and grant-ing permits for land development and construction projects. Mr. Williams served as General Man-ager and Chief Water Engineer of the St. Kitts Water Services Department from July 2001 to July 2013. The util-ity has over 14,000 connections and $8 million in annual sales. He led a team of three Civil Engineers and about 20 technicians in the planning, designing of surface and groundwater systems in a total workforce of 115 employees. He worked as Engineer, St. Kitts Water Services Department from October 1999

to June 2001 and as Engineer, St. Kitts Public Works Department from Sep-tember 1995 to August 1998. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources which from the University of London in September 1999. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering which he obtained from the Faculty of Engineering, Uni-versity of the West Indies based in Trin-idad and Tobago in June of 1995. Professionally, Mr. Williams served as a member of the St. Kitts Building Board from 1995 to 1998; a member of the Caribbean Development Bank - Basic Needs Trust Fund (CDB-BNTF) Project Advisory Committee from 1996 to 1998. He has been a member of the Carib-bean Water and Wastewater Associa-tion (CWWA) from 1999 to the present and served as Vice-President of the As-sociation from 2007-2008 and also rep-resented the St. Kitts Water Services De-partment on the Board of the Caribbean Basin Water Management Programme Inc. (CBWMP), now the Caribbean Wa-

He has a number of accomplishments in the water sector including an analy-sis of projected supply and demand for groundwater from 2000 to 2001, the preparation between 2002 and 2004, of a project proposal to increase ground-water supplies by 25% and supervision of implementation of an US$8 million “Water Supply Improvement Project” involving the procurement of well-drilling equipment, the successful drill-ing of eight wells to increase production capacity by about 1 million gallons per day. Mr. Williams initiated Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the water infrastructure, introduced changes in the revenue collection sys-tem including the use of Handheld De-vices and initiated a number of public awareness campaigns that resulted in reduction in wastage and unaccounted for water. He has attended a number of short courses and workshops relating to wa-ter resources management and has also received a number academic, education and training awards as well as a special commendation from Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Dr. Denzil L. Douglas for initiative in raising public aware-ness of water issues.CAWASA wishes Mr Williams well.

ter and Sewerage Association Inc. (CA-WASA). And he also served as Trea-surer of the CBWMP from 2000 to 2003. Mr. Williams has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a member of St. Kitts De-velopment Control and Planning Board since 2002. He has also functioned as the National Focal Point for UNESCO International Hydrologic Programme (IHP) from 2002 to the present and as National Focal Point for the OAS Inter-American Water Resources Network (IWRN) since 2002.

CAWASA Secretariat NewsCROMWELL WILLIAMS

MOVES ON…

Caribbean delegates from several English, French and Butch-speak-ing islands and territories had a

rare experience earlier this year when they participated in a week of water ac-tivities on the banks of the Maroni River. The President of the Communaute D’Agglomeration de Centre Littoral (CACL) Cayenne, Rodolphe Alexan-dre, invited CAWASA to the 11th Wa-ter Week in Cayenne from April 22-16, 2013. Programme Officer Suzanne Jo-seph attended the Conference on CA-WASA’s behalf. Delegates attended from Martinique, Guadeloupe, Suriname, Santo Domin-go, France, St Lucia, St Martin and Haiti.The opportunity for the CACL, the SI-AEAG and SICSM -- initiators of these days – was afforded with the possibility for institutional partners of the Carib-

Sharing experiences on the banks of the Maroni River

Cayenne hosted successful 11th Water Week with heavy Caribbean participation

bean and the Amazon and professional sanitation, drinking water and waste management, to meet again. Panel discussions, technical visits, sales presentations were among many opportunities to exchange experiences and share knowledge. These days were open to the general public, especially schoolchildren and students training for careers in the environment. An edu-cational exhibition and events were also planned. The AGGLO (urban community cen-ter coast), organized the 11th edition of Water Days from 22 to 26 April 2013 in Cayenne.Indeed, this year CACL had the honor of hosting this event, which annually brings together professionals from the sectors of water, sanitation and waste throughout the Caribbean. 2013 is the International year of co-operation in the field of water and it is natural that the theme of this edition was “Sharing the Amazon Cooperation and the Caribbean”, which promised exchanges and returns particularly rich experience. The CACL is competent in its terri-tory in the management of drinking wa-ter, wastewater and sanitation is fully in this desire: to promote cooperation to meet the challenges of water by an ex-change of innovative practices, sharing of experiences and expertise. Rodolphe Alexandre , President of Community of Agglomération of C between Littoral, invited the public to discover the Zephyr to the water sec-tor and to meet the various professional Antilles and Guyana. This event aimed to raise many challenges and potential of cooperation in the field of water. Several thematic and cultural high-

lights such as conferences, educational and recreational workshops, exhibi-tions and visits were also hosted at the 11th Water day celebrations. The Issues: What are the issues of wa-ter production across the planet? What techniques for sustainable management and quality of the resource? What so-lutions for access to drinking water on our Amazonian territories and the Ca-ribbean? Those were – and still are -- ques-tions that are at the heart of discus-sions at the11th Water Day, organized by the Urban Community Centre coast (CACL) in partnership with inter union of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and SI-AEAG SICSM. An event organized in the framework of the International Year of cooperation in the field of water 2013, the UN’s global organization invited all stakeholders at the national level as local, to lead the dis-cussion on how to manage the absolutely vital resource, highly threatened by hu-man activities and climatic changes. CACL is competent in its territory in the management of drinking water, wastewater and sanitation is fully in this determination: encourage coopera-tion to meet the challenges of the water, by an exchange of innovative practices, sharing of experiences and expertise. Therefore, this event aimed to raise many challenges and potential of coop-eration in the field of water. Some of the visiting Caribbean del-egates were also invited to another community Maripasula and tenwkre’ – an Amerindian village with approxi-mately 200 inhabitants and the invitees had to cross the Maroni River by canoe. (See more Cayenne Coverage on Back Page )

Mr Cromwell Williams

Rodolphe Alexandre

Theme and logo for Cayenne’s 11th Water Week.


Caribbean Water Operators Networked and Competed in Antigua!

Antigua and Barbuda Minister John maginley addressing the opening of

the conference

Guest Speaker Don degan of World Waste Water Solutions (Canada) Participants at the opening ceremony

Operators appreciated promotional mini-exhibitionWhile gathered in Antigua and Barbuda for their 2013 Caribbean Water Operators Conference, participants were able to view a special exhibition put on by the OECS CAWASA delegates were able to appreciate exhibits from the OECS, as well as from HD Supply. During the exhibition, the OECS promoted the RRACC Project (Reduce the Risks to Human and Natural Assets Results from Climate Change). CAWASA Program Officer Suzanne Joseph assisted in setting-up and

manning the mini-exhibition, which drew positive responses from the water operators from around the region gathered in the twin-island state.

Logos of the various CAWASA public utilities and member-organizations were on display There was an interesting photographic display on exhibit

CAWASA Programme Officer Suzanne Joseph at the conference HD Supply took the opportunity to advertise their various water products

CAWASA Secretariat Newse-SourcePage 4 January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

When we think of wastewater, we immediately begin to conjure up thoughts of repulsion and

distaste, but wastewater is the flip side of water, say scientists at the third annual meeting of the Caribbean Waste Water and Sewerage Authority (CAWASA), which was held in Antigua and Barbuda at the end of June 2013. During the regional

meeting, which focused on “What Are We Drinking?” the scientists asserted that the common behaviour of treating wastewater as the “poor cousin of water” is not only a misjudgement but it is backward. The im-portance of understanding wastewater not only brings new significance to water man-agement and distribution, but provides the seedlings for wide explorations in the re-

use possibilities of wastewater for the ben-efit of today’s eco-system. In light of current stresses on water re-sources, brought on by poor human prac-tices, degraded environments, and the changing climate, everyone can do with innovative ways to identify and access new water sources. For centuries, countries have fought over

oil, but if water sources continue to deplete, ‘the new war will be about water’, says Saint Lucian based Wastewater Specialist, Francis Isidore. Speaking during a brief interview with Communications Specialist of the OECS-RRACC Project following the meeting, Isidore said that “Water is life, but sanitation is digni-ty”, and understanding the link between the two is a critical factor in water re-use.




the conference









the conference









the conference






CAWASA Secretariat News

Waste Water Re-Use– A Caribbean Imperative- by Tecla Fontenard, Communications Specialist, RRACC Project, OECS Secretariat -




the conference







Seventy students from two Primary Schools in Antigua paid a visit to a climate change exhibition set up by the OECS-RRACC team at the Jolly Beach Hotel. The exhibition was set up for two days from June 27-28, 2013, on the occasion of the 3rd annual meeting of the Caribbean Waste Wa-ter and Sewerage Authority (CAWASA). During the schools’ visits, students were engaged in discussions on issues related to the impacts of climate change in the OECS, and measures being taken to reduce such impacts. Discussions also focused on efforts to help citizens cope with the phenomenon. The animated students showed great curi-osity and interest in the climate change dia-logue, some even challenging the scientific

Antiguan Students get A Treatstatements on the global phenomenon, with one boy student questioning why is it that smoke and exhaust from fossil fuels don't just disperse into the infinite atmosphere. “Why would a buildup of fumes be stand-ing still in the atmosphere?”, he challenged. The students were a mix of boys and girls with an age range of 10-13 years. Af-ter browsing the exhibits, students were quizzed on various aspects of climate change and were gifted with branded mer-chandise from the RRACC Project such as pencils, jotters, exercise books, caps etc. The exhibition provided a perfect setting for dialoguing and sharing knowledge on climate change, as well as on the RRACC Project.

- By Tecla Fontenard, Communications Specialist, OECS–RRACC Project -

Communications Specialist for Climate Change at the OECS, Tecla Fontenard (left) with students at the Exhibition on Climate Change

held in Antigua during the June Water Operators Conference.

Water Operators Conference in Antigua 2013

e-Source Page 9January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

1st Place Winner2nd Place Winner

3rd Place Winner

4th Place Winner


CAWASA Secretariat Newse-Source Page 5 January to June 2013 | Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

TOP: Water Operators from across the region pit their wits and professional skills against each other in friendly but fierce competition on the sidelines of their 2013 Caribbean Water Operators Conference in Antigua and Barbuda. BOTTOM: Following the contest of skills and the

decisions of the judges and jury, the winners were announced – all from the OECS and Windward islands -- each of whom were justly prized for emerging a cut above the rest.

Tough Competitors and Deserving Winners!

1st Place: Antigua and Barbuda 2nd Place:

St. Kitts and Nevis3rd Place:

St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines

4th Place: Dominica


Caribbean delegates landed at Maripasula for the week-long Cayenne Water Week. (At right is CAWASA Program Officer Suzanne Joseph).

Caribbean delegates preparing to board a canoe for a rive ride to Cayenne's Tenwrke Amerindian village.

Caribbean delegates from several English, French and Dutch-speaking islands and territories participated in a week of water activities on the banks of Cayenne’s Maroni River. They had been invited by President of the Communaute D’Agglomeration de

Centre Littoral (CACL) Cayenne, Rodolphe Alexandre, to the 11th Water Week celebrations in Cayenne from April 22-16, 2013. Photos show delegates taking in the rare experiences of a Creole-speaking Caribbean community in South America.

CAWASA delegates entering a Cayenne Amerindian village after a long but interesting up-river boat ride.

Caribbean delegates aboard another canoe for another Cayenne river ride, this time along the Maroni River.

CAWASA delgates gathered up-river in Tenwrke for interior water lessons.

Caribbean delegates preparing to board a canoe for a river ride to Cayenne's Tenwrke Amerindian village.

An Amerindian villager in Tenwrke offers a Caribbean delegate a lesson on the native process of making farine, a staple indigenous food.


Photos show delegates taking in the rare experiences of a French Creole-speaking Caribbean community in South America.


The Board of Directors’, Manage-ment and Staff of the Barbados Water Authority wish to congratulate Mr. Denis Kenmore Yearwood, our retir-ing General Manager, on a wonderful career spanning forty-one (41) years at the institution. He spent the last 21 of those years at the helm of the organi-sation as its CEO, and dedicated him-self to leading the organisation down a successful path with integrity and compassion. Denis, the second of two children, was raised in a sparsely populated rustic village situated in the most northerly parish of the island, St. Lucy, called Rock Hall.Like most Barbadians of his era, the pursuit of excellence in education was the hall-mark of his family’s aspirations and he worked hard to achieve academic success. Mr. Yearwood attended the Coleridge and Parry Secondary School in St. Peter and continued his education at Harrison College in Bridgetown to complete his six form education. It was there that he excelled in Mathematics, Physics and Chemis-try and was awarded the prestigious Barbados Scholarship in the year 1969. After completing his undergradu-ate studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, in Trinidad and Tobago, he was award-ed the Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with Hon-ours. Yearwood returned to Barbados and joined the public service in 1972 and was assigned to work at the then Waterworks Department as an en-gineer in the operations and mainte-nance section located at Bowmanston, St. John under the tutelage of engineer

Ambrose Johnson. Mr. Johnson was soon promoted to perform the role of Deputy Chief Engineer and young Yearwood, fresh out of university, was entrusted with the task of man-aging the entire operations at Bow-manston. He had responsibility for managing and operating of all pump stations, pumping equipment and res-ervoirs on the island. Mr. Yearwood’s thirst for educa-tion continued and he became the re-cipient of a Peter Moores Scholarship awarded through BIMAP to attend

Strathclyde University School of Busi-ness in Scotland. There he pursued post graduate studies in Management and when on to obtain a Masters de-gree in Business Administration. Mr. Yearwood is also a chartered profes-sional engineer having been admitted to Membership of the Institute of Me-chanical Engineers, UK. It was evident, therefore, that Mr. Yearwood’s naturally sharp and in-spired mind had been thoroughly fur-nished with great ideas and good work ethics associated with a professional engineer and a trained manager. Denis leaves an expansive legacy of achieve-ments as General Manager of the Bar-bados Water Authority; he oversaw the: • Introduction of Universal Metering

on the island - 1996; • Establishment of Barbados’ first De-

salination Plant at Spring Garden - 1999;

• Comprehensive Review and Over-haul of Barbados’ Groundwater Protection and Zoning Policy Study;

• Water Resources and Water Loss Study - 1996;

• Design of the West Coast Sewerage Project - 2003;

• Replacement and installation of several miles of water mains island wide;

• Introduction of plastic pipes such as “poly blue” pipe for service connec-tions to replace galvanized and lead pipes;

• Commencement of the new Barba-dos Water Headquarters’ Building at the Pine;

• Commissioning of the Water and Sanitation Projects with financing from the Inter-American Develop-ment Bank;

• Full computerization of Customer Services, Finance Departments of the BWA, Technical Sections and much more.

Denis’ achievements went a long way towards the development of wa-ter resource management in Barbados. Under him Barbados’ water supply became one of the most reliable in the Caribbean. Mr. Yearwood espoused a respect for all persons and he was compas-sionate and accommodating to his staff and the public at large. He per-formed his daily tasks with honesty and a meticulous attention to detail, and accepted nothing less from his managers. His legacy will be an en-lightening experience for young career aspirants to emulate, as he has clearly demonstrated how one can rise to a higher position in a career and suc-ceed through sheer dedication, com-mitment and hard work. Denis always bore an infectious smile which perme-ated the office while he went about his daily deliberations; that smile stood out as a benchmark of this unassum-ing gentleman’s characteristics as a professional. His 41 continuous years of service to the Barbados Water Au-thority speaks volumes to his commit-ment to the organization and to the country as a whole. We at the Barbados Water Author-ity look back upon Mr. Yearwood’s career with a sense of great pride and accomplishment; we want to take this opportunity to thank him for his reso-lute contribution to the organization and to wish him a happy retirement filled with fun and good health! To his wife Pauline we say take good care of him.

A Tribute to Mr. Denis Yearwood, Retired General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority

By Engineer Stephen Lindo“Retire from work, but not from life.” - M.K. Soni

Denis Yearwood Retired General Manager of the Barbados Water

Authority

Wetlands include swamps, marshes, bogs, riverbanks, mangroves, flood-plains, rice fields -- and anywhere else, according to the US Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA), that saturation with water is the dominant factor deter-mining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal com-munities there. They are widespread in every country and on every continent except Antarctica. If all the world’s wet-lands were put together, they would take up an area one-third larger than the United States. Environmentalists, biologists and others concerned about the health of the planet and its inhabitants recog-nize the key role wetlands play in life on Earth. The EPA points out that, be-sides containing a disproportionately high number of plant and animal spe-cies compared to other land forms, wetlands serve a variety of ecological services including feeding downstream waters, trapping floodwaters, recharg-ing groundwater supplies, removing pollution and providing fish and wild-life habitat. Wetlands can also be key drivers of local economies, given their

importance to agriculture, recreation and fishing. According to Wetlands International, a global non-profit dedicated to the con-servation and restoration of wetlands around the world, wetlands are on the “front-line” as development pressures increase everywhere. “Wetlands are vulnerable to over-exploitation due to their abundance of fish, fuel and wa-ter,” reports the group, which works on the ground in 18 countries to educate the public and policymakers about the health of local wetlands and to advo-cate for better policies. “When they are viewed as unproductive or marginal lands, wetlands are targeted for drain-age and conversion.” “The rate of loss and deterioration of wetlands is accelerating in all regions of the world,” the group adds. “The pres-sure on wetlands is likely to intensify in the coming decades due to increased global demand for land and water, as well as climate change.” The widespread expansion of devel-opment in the US in recent decades has brought the issue of wetlands loss to the forefront of debates on zoning and land use planning. One of the key and underlying issues is concern about en-dangered species: More than a third of

species on the US Endangered Species List live only in wetlands and almost half use them at some time during their lifecycles. While the issue lingers on in mu-nicipal planning meetings around the country, the federal government does what it can to protect wetlands. It does so through regulations spelled out in the Clean Water Act, which include providing tax incentives for selling or giving wetlands to land trusts or other conservation groups, via cooperative efforts with state and local entities, and by acquiring wetlands outright to add

acreage to public lands systems. And several states have passed laws to regu-late activities in wetlands, and many municipalities include wetlands conser-vation in their development permitting and zoning processes. Readers can do their part by staying current on local zoning laws, keeping an eye on local wetlands and speaking up if something looks amiss. Potential problems are much easier to resolve early on than after damage is done, so speaking up soon can often lead to more successful and less contentious outcomes.

Why are wetlands so important to preserve?-- by Patricia Mancuso, Erie, PA



Dominica has launched an US$7.4 million water upgrade proj-ect that the authorities said would benefit thousands of residents and consumers in the north, east and south of the country. The Mero to Castle Comfort proj-ect dubbed “The Third Water Sup-ply Project Water Area-1 (WA-1) Network Upgrade” the project and is being funded by a US $6.1 million loan from the Barbados-based Ca-ribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Dominica government and the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO). The CDB also gave a US$150,000 grant for technical study and capac-ity building. Speaking at the launch of the 42-month project in early April, DOWASCO Board of Directors mem-ber, Kay Robinson said the area is affected by turbidity and the project will assist in alleviating that problem.

Dominica launches US$7.4 million water project

“WA-1 is frequently compromised by extreme turbidity levels that are of-ten accompanied by extreme rainfall in these areas and we have seen a wors-ening of this in recent times. This re-sults in frequent closures of the intake since the existing treatment facility is

inadequate and storage is insufficient.” The project comprises of three major areas: construction of a new intake at the Checkhall river approximately two kilometeres upstream from the exist-ing intake; the upgrade of the network transmission and distribution system; construction of two distribution stor-age tanks of 100,000 gallons at Mas-sacre and 250,000 gallons at Antrim; the upgrade of the existing Springfield intake; the Antrim filtration plant and the setting up of a leak detection and repair program. It will also include ancillary work comprising of the access road and foot path to the new Checkhall intake.Robinson noted that there will be vari-ous benefits will be derived from the project. “Several benefits mainly improved water quality due to a relocated source and upgrade of the treatment plant, and consumers will be able to enjoy a more reliable water supply with mini-

mal interruptions many major so-cio economic benefits,” she noted. Housing, Lands, Settlements and Water Resources Manage-ment Minister, Reginald Austrie, used the launch of the project to urge nationals to review water re-source management. “We continue to repeat and to say that we have 365 rivers… I am not sure when the last count was made but we might have a reduc-tion in the number of rivers that we claim to have and I believe that is an awareness that we have carry across the country and we have to use all the institutions available to get that information across,” he said. WA-1 is the largest out of 43 wa-ter areas island-wide servicing es-sential services including the Prin-cess Margaret Hospital and various schools. It accounts for 48 percent of total water consumption.

Housing, Lands, Settlements and Water Resources Management Minister,

Reginald Austrie, used the launch of the project to urge nationals to review

water resource management.

The Saint Lucia Meteorology Ser-vices confirms that the drought con-ditions experienced earlier are over, whilst predicting above normal rain-fall for the coming months. Earlier this year authorities had de-clared a dry spell after recording sig-nificant reductions in rainfall for the period December to February. Signals were sent across the island for Saint Lucians to conserve water amidst lin-gering fears of a possible repeat of the drought of 2010. However, April came with heavy and continuous rainfall, alleviating the concerns of many who had already ex-perienced water rationing. Director of Met Services Thomas Auguste reveals that the month of April recorded historic rainfall. He said, “Actually in April the to-

St Lucians reminded to ‘always be prepared’ for Drought

tal rainfall recorded at Vigie Airport is the highest that we ever recorded since we began keeping record in 1967 and at Hewanorra we had the third highest since 1973. “We have officially declared that the drought is over and the forecast for the next 3 – 4 month is normal to above normal rainfall.”

The rainfall recorded at George F.L. Charles Airport was 343mm and at Hewanorra International Airport 277.7 mm. Saint Lucians were encouraged to start taking all the necessary precau-tion ahead of this hurricane season. According to Mr Auguste, “Looking at the increased rainfall in recent times

and looking forward to the hurri-cane season, we believe that there is going to be a very high probability of flooding and landslides during the hurricane season. “And since it is a very active sea-son and we have had so much rain-fall preceding the start of the season (which is June 1st), the alert right now is for people to be very cau-tious going into the hurricane sea-son, because of the high probability of landslides due to heavy rainfall.” These developments are quite in tune with the global trend of irregu-lar weather patterns and the wors-ening climatic conditions. The Saint Lucia Met Services says it will continue to monitor the weather and calls on Saint Lucians – and their Caribbean neighbours -- to do the same.

A new water taxi service has been launched in Bermuda, offer-ing service across the Island Bermuda Water Taxi, operated by Captain Ashley Simmons, is hoped to provide another option for the public to travel between Dockyard,

St George’s and Hamilton. Capt Simmons said: “After wit-nessing ferries and buses transport-ing visitors around Bermuda, the idea came to me about offering an alternative mode of transportation with a difference.

“With a water taxi, tourists and lo-cals can call for the taxi when needed or can make reservations for a pick-up. The water taxi is for anyone who would like a relaxing ride to their destination, while learning about the history of our beautiful Island.”

The service will run between Dockyard and St George’s, Dockyard and Hamilton, and throughout the Great Sound. It operates between the hours of 8am to 7pm daily with run times of 15 and 25 minutes for a cost of $10 to $20 depending on the destination.

Water Taxi service launched in Bermuda

St. Lucia’s Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Indus-tries continues to improve the

quality of the water-based tourism services and the sites and attractions sectors through training in better emergency response preparedness. This is one of the many activities undertaken by the Ministry to contin-ue enhancing the quality of the Saint Lucian Tourism Product. Approximately 30 participants in each sub-sector receive training in June in Multi-hazard Contingency Planning Business Continuity Planning. Some of the areas participants learned about included: Introduction to the Structure of Disaster Manage-

ment in Saint Lucia-(Business Conti-nuity and Multi-Hazard Contingency Planning for the National Tourism Sector); Introduction to Business Con-tinuity Planning and Management; Fire Response and Preparedness; Awareness of the Standard for the Water-based Tourism Sector. Participants were expected develop or update their own business conti-nuity plans, to be reviewed and en-dorsed by NEMO and endorsement for enlistment on Saint Lucia Tourist Board’s Website. This training is the collaborative ef-fort of the Ministry and its industry partners and the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO).

Efforts at Enhancing Water-based Tourism Product

Water Taxis are popular and essential for visitor travel within Caribbean destinations and efforts are under way on several islands to improve the product overall.

St. Lucians reminded to ‘always be prepared’ for drought



The World Water Day celebrations organized by the United Nations and the Government of The Netherlands on March 23rd in The Hague ad-dressed both water cooperation and the outcomes from the Thematic Con-sultation on Water in the post-2015 agenda. The programme of the day in-volved political and governmental leaders and members of the UN High Level Panel on the Post 2015 Devel-opment Agenda, and included inspi-rational speeches, presentations and interactive discussions. A series of thematic sessions also gave the op-portunity to reflect on the different dimensions of water cooperation, and brought new ideas and innova-tive approaches from different sec-tors of society. Challenges identified on 21 March at the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Water organized by the Dutch Gov-ernment were incorporated in the thematic sessions

Cooperating around this precious re-source is key for security, poverty eradi-cation, social equity and gender equal-ity. “Water is central to the well-being of people and the planet," Secretary Gen-eral Ban Ki-moon said in his video mes-sage for the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013. "We must work to-gether to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource." Every action involving water manage-ment and use requires effective coopera-tion between multiple actors, whether at the local or the international scale. In recognition of this reality, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 to be the Inter-national Year of Water Cooperation, fol-lowing a proposal from a group of Member States led by Tajikistan. World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March, is dedicated to the same theme this year. UNESCO, in collaboration with UNECE and UN DESA, is leading activities for both the Year and the Day on behalf of UN Water. Today, over 780 million people do not have access to improved sources of drinking water and 2.5 billion people are without improved sanita-tion. Population growth associated with changing consumption patterns, espe-cially in cities, is driving an increase in water demand. Our lifestyles are more water-hungry. With the world popula-tion expected to grow from a little over 7 billion today to 8 billion by 2025, water withdrawals should increase by 50 per-

cent in developing countries and by 18 percent in developed countries. Water for irrigation and food production con-stitutes one of the greatest pressures on freshwater resources. An estimated 148 states share a basin with one or several countries, which is a potential source of conflict, as actions upstream have impacts on downstream countries. The Danube, for example, is shared by 19 countries, and the Nile River by 11. Water overextraction, diver-sion, pollution,scarcity and the neglect of existing agreements are often at the roots of water tensions. “Governments must commit to finding inclusive and cooperative solutions to water challenges,” said Ms Irina Bokova in her messages on the occasion of World Water Day. “For this, we must take deci-

sions that involve all relevant actors, from investors to users,” she contin-ued. A new UN Water analytical brief on water se-curity released today on the occasion of World Water Day underlines that numerous examples from across the globe demonstrate that shared waters provide opportunities for cooperation across nations and support political dialogue on broader issues such as re-gional economic integration, environ-mental conservation, and sustainable development. Cooperation mechanisms can vary in terms of decisionmaking struc-tures, levels of participation, and rules and regulations,but the princi-ple remains the same: when water re-sources are cooperatively shared and managed, peace, prosperity and sus-tainable development are more likely to be achieved. Cooperation can help overcome inequity and prevent con-flicts, and thus contribute to poverty eradication, socio-economic develop-ment and improve living conditions and educational chances, especially of women and children. Once again, UN-Water has award-ed two projects that contribute to the fulfilment of international commit-ments made on water and water-re-lated issues this year. The UN Water "Water for Life" Best Practices Award was given to a project implemented in the city of Kumamoto in Japan for the conservation of groundwater resourc-es and to the “Safe Water and Sanita-tion for All” initiative in the Republic of Moldova, aimed at improving cov-erage in rural areas of the country. The Rio+20 outcome document identifies water as a key area for achieving sustainable development. “The International Year of Water Co-operation is in fact providing excel-lent opportunities for engagement and dialogue in the UN System and among Member States on all water-related issues in the context of the Rio+20 outcomes and moving to-wards 2015,” said Mr Michel Jarraud in his keynote at the World Water Day celebrations in The Hague, The Netherlands. World Water Day and the Inter-national Year of Water Cooperation certainly give us the opportunity to reflect on the benefits of cooperation and promote increased cooperation at all levels for the management and use of Water resources as a way to achieve sustainable development.

The Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA) of the Ministry of Sustainable. Development, Energy, Sci-ence and Technology and the rest of the world today celebrates World Water Day under theme “Water Cooperation”. The observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio De Janerio, Brazil. Coming out of this con-ference, the UN General Assembly des-ignated March 22nd of each year as the World Water Day. At its 58th session the UN proclaimed that the years 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action with a special focus on the par-ticipation on women. Member states devote this day to implement some of the UN recommendations and to orga-nize activities as deemed appropriate in the local context. Water Cooperation, on the interna-tional plain, would mean cooperation

In observance of World Water Day 2013 the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) warned host country that St. Lucia's water resourc-es were “in a precarious state.” CEHI, which is located in Castries, said “poor land use practices within watersheds that include deforestation and pollution of rivers” had left them with “reduced flows and often times leaden with silt and other contami-nants.” CEHI said in its message to mark the occasion, "Watershed degradation has direct impacts on the quality of water that we rely on for drinking. “Climate change is expected to worsen the situation as rainfall pat-terns are expected to change, with droughts becoming more severe and prolonged, and during the hurricane season, storms and hurricanes are ex-pected to increase in intensity causing damage to our fragile water supply systems. "Combined with all of these chal-lenges we often waste water as we do not appreciate its true value. The little value we place on water is di-rectly contributory to the issues that our lone water utility faces in terms of adequately meeting the costs it takes to produce water and deliver it safely to our homes and businesses". With the current drought condi-tions being experienced and on the eve of the Commemoration of World Water Day on March 22, it was a good time "to reflect on our water issues and what we need to do to make out coun-try more water secure", CEHI said. The United Nations has designat-ed the year 2013 as the International Year for Water Cooperation and in commemoration, countries are en-couraged to celebrate their efforts at solving the world's water problems through collaborative efforts amongst all partners; the local community, government, the private sector, wa-ter and sewerage service providers, water sector financiers, regional and international technical and donor agencies. As part of activities to mark World Water Day, a Symposium on Water was held in Castries organized jointly by the CEHI, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association and the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Asso-ciation, in association with the Minis-try of Sustainable Development.

World Water Day celebrations and High Level Forum held in

the Netherlands

CEHI warns host country:

Water resources in a precarious state!

World Water Day Message from UN Water

Cooperation for peace, prosperity and sustainable development.

‘We are only the custodians of this Planet!’

for peace, security, sustainable develop-ment and the environment, cooperation for poverty alleviation and universal ac-cess to clean potable water for all. In the St. Lucian context, the problem that we are grappling with as it relates to water cooperation is that of water pollution which generally stems from the improper disposal waste and waste water or bad land management practic-es which leads to a reduction our water quality and quantity. The world has enough water to quench its 7 billion people’s thirst. What we at WRMA are asking is for all of us to cooperate and adhere to the global principles including our own Water and Sewerage Act No. 14, 2005 which governs our local water resources. We need to be mindful of the end users, we need not pollute our waterways, for our society, fauna and flora depends on it for its sustainability and by extension our survival. Over the last few years, trans-

boundary water management has ended up in major disputes between rival nations so this year’s theme is quite apt in that it is seeking to build respect, mutual understanding and trust amongst neighbour’s thereby promoting peace whilst encouraging economic and social growth. So, as we place attention on today’s commemoration, WRMA is imploring St Lucians and persons throughout the region to conserve our water re-sources, use it sparingly, harvest rain water where and when possible, try to develop the culture of re-use for in do-ing so we are in fact training the next generation of water users the healthy habit of water conservation practices particularly now as we are seemingly facing a looming water scarcity issue. Remember, we didn’t just inherit this planet from our forefathers we are only the custodians for our chil-dren and grand children.

World Water Day Message from the St. Lucia Water Resources Management Agency

The fulfillment of basic human needs, the environment, socio economic

development and poverty reduction are all dependent on water.


1

2013: International Year of Water Cooperation

In December 2010, following the proposal initiated by Tajikistan and submitted by a group of countries, the United Nations General Assembly de-clared 2013 as the United Nations In-ternational Year of Water Cooperation. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

The fulfillment of basic human needs, our environment, socio-economic de-velopment and poverty reduction are all heavily dependent on water. Good management of water is espe-cially challenging due to some of its unique characteristics: it is unevenly distributed in time and space, the hy-drological cycle is highly complex and perturbations have multiple effects. Rapid urbanization, pollution and climate change threaten the resource while demands for water are increas-ing in order to satisfy the needs of a growing world population, now at over seven billion people, for food production, energy, industrial and domestic uses. Water is a shared re-

Mutual trust and understanding the real needs of communities have been emphasized as key factors for success-ful water cooperation by the partici-pants of the International UN-Water Conference on water cooperation which took place from 8 to 10 January in Zaragoza, Spain. The participants shared a wide range of initiatives, including experiences in rural and urban areas, and cases at country and basin level, to identify les-sons learned and key success factors. The need for cooperation was high-lighted as critical for sustainable water management. Micro-irrigation practices and expe-riences from water user associations and small communities in Peru, Ke-nya, Guatemala, Bolivia, Madagascar, Ethiopia and India, examples of mul-tisectoral collaboration in different cit-ies around the world, and partnerships between public and private actors have been discussed. Cases from Kenya and Bolivia dem-onstrated that the existence of a legal framework to support the creation of

(UNESCO) was appointed by UN-Water to lead the preparations for both the 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation and the World Water Day, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and with the sup-port of the United Nations Depart-

ment of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Develop-ment (UNW-DPC) and the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC). UN-Water has called upon UNESCO to lead the 2013 International Year

of Water Cooperation in view of the organization’s multi-dimensional mandate in the realm of natural and social sciences, culture, education and communication, and its significant and long-standing contribution to the management of the world’s freshwa-ter resources.

All About International Water Cooperation Year

source and its management needs to take into account a wide variety of conflicting interests. This provides opportunities for cooperation among users. In designating 2013 as the UN Inter-national Year of Water Cooperation, the UNGA recognizes that cooperation is essential to strike a balance between the different needs and priorities and share this precious resource equitably, using water as an instrument of peace. Promoting water cooperation implies an interdisciplinary approach bring-ing in cultural, educational and scien-tific factors, as well as religious, ethi-cal, social, political, legal, institutional and economic dimensions.

Water Cooperation: What’s it all about?

Mutual trust and understanding community needs key for successful water cooperationcollective water management is impor-tant but it is implementation which is determinant. To actually realize coop-erative water management, the imple-mentation of a system of incentives and penalties is also required. While po-litical will enables the development of laws and regulations, implementation should come from local organizations and institutions. Identifying appropriate solutions can be hampered by differences in per-ceptions, as demonstrated by specific cases in Peru and Kenya, where proj-ects failed because irrigation technolo-gies were imposed without taking into consideration traditional practices and perspectives. While financing is important and water user associations are often cre-ated through development cooperation funds, it should be complemented by cooperation and mutual support be-tween sectors and users to become sus-tainable. “Trust forms the foundation on which the house of water cooperation can be built. We should invest in gen-

erating trust” declared Victor Viñuales, director of the Spanish NGO Ecology and Development (ECODES), who has participated in this conference. Overexploitation of aquifers was one of the other main themes in which the collective management by organiza-tions such as water user associations has been recognized as essential. In cases such as the aquifer of the Bajo Llobregat in Spain, the fact that all stakeholder felt the urgent need for cooperation was the key success fac-tor for sustainable basin management. Presenters of this and other cases em-phasized the importance of building relationships between water user com-munities and authorities based on mu-tual respect and avoiding paternalistic attitudes. According to Brice Lalonde, Execu-tive Coordinator of Rio+20 at the UN Department of Economic and Social Af-fairs “We are entering the era of water reuse. Particularly in cities, water reuse is imperative”. Learning how to coop-erate to recycle water among different users and sectors is crucial for provid-

ing access to safe sanitation to the 2.6 billion people who are currently lack-ing this basic service. On the last day of the Conference, the Spanish case was analyzed. Inter-national participants gained insights on participatory processes implemented in the Ebro River Basin with the Basin Au-thority model as an example which can inspire other countries. Other shared examples of cooperation and collabo-ration between organizations included the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Wa-ter and Sanitation, and a number of solidarity projects and participatory processes in the regions of Aragon and Navarra in Spain. Political will, legal frameworks, ac-countability and institutional struc-tures provide a solid foundation for water cooperation. “Achieving water cooperation is the result of a long term process which requires time, patience and mutual trust” summarized Jose-fina Maestu, director of the UN Office to support the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015 when closing the Conference.


WORLDWIDE WATER Facts and Figures

An increasing demand

• 783 million people do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation.

• 6 to 8 million people die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related diseases.

• Various estimates indicate that, based on business as usual, ~3.5 planets Earth would be needed to sustain a global population achieving the current lifestyle of the average European or North American.

• Global population growth projections of 2–3 billion people over the next 40 years, combined with changing diets, result in a predicted increase in food demand of 70% by 2050.

• Over half of the world population lives in urban areas, and the number of urban dwellers grows each day. Urban areas, although better served than rural areas, are struggling to keep up with population growth (WHO/UNICEF, 2010).

• With expected increases in population, by 2030, food demand is predicted to in-crease by 50% (70% by 2050) (Bruinsma, 2009), while energy demand from hy-dropower and other renewable energy resources will rise by 60% (WWAP, 2009). These issues are interconnected – increasing agricultural output, for example, will substantially increase both water and energy consumption, leading to increased competition for water between water-using sectors.

• Water availability is expected to decrease in many regions. Yet future global ag-ricultural water consumption alone is estimated to increase by ~19% by 2050, and will be even greater in the absence of any technological progress or policy

intervention.• Water for irrigation and food production constitutes one of the greatest pressures

on freshwater resources. Agriculture accounts for ~70% of global freshwater with-drawals (up to 90% in some fast-growing economies).

• Economic growth and individual wealth are shifting diets from predomi-nantly starch-based to meat and dairy, which require more water. Produc-ing 1 kg of rice, for example, requires ~3,500 L of water, 1 kg of beef ~15,000 L, and a cup of coffee ~140 L (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2008). This dietary shift is the greatest to impact on water consumption over the past 30 years, and is likely to continue well into the middle of the twenty-first century (FAO, 2006).

• About 66% of Africa is arid or semi-arid and more than 300 of the 800 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in a water-scarce environment – meaning that they have less than 1,000 m3 per capita (NEPAD, 2006).

The impact of climate change• The IPCC predicts with high confidence that water stress will increase in central

and southern Europe, and that by the 2070s, the number of people affected will rise from 28 million to 44 million. Summer flows are likely to drop by up to 80% in southern Europe and some parts of central and Eastern Europe. Europe’s hy-dropower potential is expected to drop by an average of 6%, but rise by 20–50% around the Mediterranean by 2070 (Alcamo et al., 2007).

• The cost of adapting to the impacts of a 2°C rise in global average temperature could range from US$70 to $100 billion per year between 2020 and 2050 (World Bank, 2010). Of this cost, between US$13.7 billion (drier scenario) and $19.2 billion (wetter scenario) will be related to water, predominantly through water supply and flood management.

A resource without borders• Water is not confined to political borders. An estimated 148 states have interna-

tional basins within their territory (OSU, n.d., 2008 data), and 21 countries lie en-tirely within them (OSU, n.d, 2002 data).

• There are 276 transboundary river basins in the world (64 transboundary river basins in Africa, 60 in Asia, 68 in Europe, 46 in North America and 38 in South America).

• 185 out of the 276 transboundary river basins, about two-thirds, are shared by two countries. 256 out of 276 are shared by 2, 3 or 4 countries (92,7%), and 20 out of 276 are shared by 5 or more countries (7,2%), the maximum being 18 countries sharing a same transboundary river basin (Danube).

• 46% of the globe’s (terrestrial) surface is covered by transboundary river basins.• 148 countries include territory within one or more transboundary river ba-

sins. 39 countries have more than 90% of their territory within one or more transboundary river basins, and 21 lie entirely within one or more of these

watersheds. • Russian Federation shares 30 transboundary river basins with riparian countries,

Chile and United States 19, Argentina and China 18, Canada 15, Guinea 14, Gua-temala 13, and France 10.

• Africa has about one-third of the world’s major international water basins – basins larger than 100,000 km2. Virtually all sub-Saharan African countries, and Egypt, share at least one international water basin. Depending on how they are counted, there are between 63 (UNEP, 2010b) and 80 (UNECA, 2000) transboundary river and lake basins on the African continent.

• Rich nations are tending to maintain or increase their consumption of natural resources (WWF, 2010), but are exporting their footprints to producer, and typi-cally, poorer, nations. European and North American populations consume a considerable amount of virtual water embedded in imported food and prod-ucts. Each person in North America and Europe (excluding former Soviet Union countries) consumes at least 3 m3 per day of virtual water in imported food, compared to 1.4 m3 per day in Asia and 1.1 m3 per day in Africa (Zimmer and Renault, n.d.).

• Land grabbing is another increasingly common phenomenon. Saudi Arabia, one of the Middle East’s largest cereal growers, announced it would cut cereal produc-tion by 12% a year to reduce the unsustainable use of groundwater. To protect its water and food security, the Saudi government issued incentives to Saudi corpo-rations to lease large tracts of land in Africa for agricultural production. By invest-ing in Africa to produce its staple crops, Saudi Arabia is saving the equivalent of hundreds of millions of gallons of water per year and reducing the rate of deple-tion of its fossil aquifers.

• Nearly all Arab countries suffer from water scarcity. An estimated 66% of the Arab region’s available surface freshwater originates outside the region.

Pollution• The treatment of wastewater requires significant amounts of energy, and demand

for energy to do this is expected to increase globally by 44% between 2006 and 2030 (IEA, 2009), especially in non-OECD countries where wastewater currently receives little or no treatment (Corcoran et al., 2010).

• Pollution knows no borders either. Up to 90% of wastewater in developing coun-tries flows untreated into rivers, lakes and highly productive coastal zones, threat-ening health, food security and access to safe drinking and bathing water Over 80% of used water worldwide is not collected or treated (Corcoran et al., 2010).

Cooperation, a contrasted reality• There are numerous examples where transboundary waters have proved to be a

source of cooperation rather than conflict. Nearly 450 agreements on international waters were signed between 1820 and 2007 (OSU, 2007).

• Over 90 international water agreements were drawn up to help manage shared water basins on the African continent (UNEP, 2010).

85% of the world population lives in the driest half of the planet.


Saint Lucians are paying more for water – much more, they will tell you, as Water rates have gone up 66.15% and Sewerage rates up by 50.8%. Whopping figures, you will say. But it’s also the very first increase award-ed to the local Water and Sewage Company (WASCO). For over a dozen years the island’s publicly owned company has been going deeper and deeper into the red, only to be rescued every year by the Government. Efforts were made to privatize WASCO, but plans ran into legal problems following a change of government in 2006. Another govern-ment change in 2011 removed priva-tization off the board, opting instead for joint Public/Private participation. WASCO’s finances were killed by a growing number of defaulters not paying bills and water being stolen through illegal connections. The com-pany was always unable to pay its monthly electricity bills and normal salary demands grew after the union representing workers successfully negotiated a 10% wage increase.Last December, with Christmas ap-proaching, workers took strike action to press for payment of their increas-es, forcing the company to turn to the government for yet another bailout. The government took the bull by the horns and engaged the mechanism to determine whether the company de-served a rate increase and how to go about it. WASCO submitted its pro-posals and justification arguments to the island’s Water and Sewerage Commission – which oversees devel-opments in the water sector, which then invited the public to comment on the proposals – and called for con-sumers to also get involved in the ex-ercise, to help determine how much they will pay for water. Following the period of national consultation, the Commission de-liberated on all the submission and suggestions and recommendations and considered all the arguments. It then announced that the existing rate structure for Water was “changed” and the increase requested by WAS-CO for Sewerage was “reduced”. Under the new structure, the over-all rate for water would see 55.72% of the 66.15% go towards water, while the rest (10.43%) will go towards the dredging of the massive John Comp-ton Dam at Roseau, which WASCO is also responsible for. Dredging of the heavily-silted dam is expected to be completed within two years, but if it is to continue af-ter the allocated two years, WASCO would have to justify that continua-tion. It means that after the completion of the dredging, the 10.43% would be knocked off the water rate, reducing it to 55.72%. The commission also dic-tated that any dredging would have to undergo “competitive bidding”.

Rate Increases with Popular Participation

How one Caribbean Government brought water rates up to date after 13 years with hardly a sweat, a tear -- or even a protest!

Regarding Sewerage rates, the originally proposed 140.30% was re-duced to 50.8% after final comments from the public, to avoid a public “rate shock”. Based on data provided by WASCO, the Commission sought to determine the rate and the revenue requirement of the company, which it placed at EC $60,546,307.00 per an-num. It therefore awarded increases it felt would meet the company’s needs, but also sought certain public guaran-tees from the company. The following new rates were agreed: • Domestic – the first 3,000 gallons

(which previously cost EC $7.35) was increased by $4.86 (66.15%) to $12.21.

• In excess of 3,000 gallons (originally EC $15.00) now costs EC $9.42.

• The minimum charge for 2,000 gal-lons was EC $14.70 and is now EC $24.42.

• Commercial/Industrial Water: The former price per 1,000 gallons was $20.00 and the new tariff is EC$33.23.

• Hotels paid EC$22.00 per 1,000 gal-lons the new rate is EC$36.55.

• Government paid $14 per 1,000 gal-lons, but the new rate is EC$66.46.

• Ships -- which are charged the highest rates -- paid EC$40.00 per 1,000 gallons, but the new rate is EC $66.46.

The Commission held discussions with the Minister for Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology regarding Service Stan-dards for WASCO and indicated it wanted the Water and Sewerage (Ser-vice Standards) Regulations “enacted without delay.” Following the new rate increases, WASCO also now has to submit quar-terly reports to the Commission with the following information: Non-rev-enue water, outstanding debts (inac-

tive customers), information on the government’s Amnesty Programme (to benefit defaulters), staffing infor-mation (including recruitment and category), customer complaints, ac-counting system, customers (active or otherwise) and category, service interruption (areas, duration and reasons) and detailed information on selling expenses. The Commission has made it clear to WASCO that, with the new tariff increase, it also “expects to see some level of improvement at WASCO and will engage WASCO to establish cer-tain targets, which must be achieved during the tariff period of three years.” The Commission will also monitor “increased efficiency, increased re-sponse to customers’ complaints and more reliable service delivery.” A wa-ter rate increase isn’t easy anywhere, especially these days. No Caribbean country can simply raise rates these days without some form of organized protest. That didn’t happen in St. Lu-cia, not because people can afford, but because everyone accepted WASCO needed to raise its own cash, as gov-ernment is already cash-strapped. The St. Lucia reality – like elsewhere in the Caribbean – is that consumers would readily spend more on bottled water than on locally produced po-table (pipe) water. Many spend more on imported bottled water than on paying monthly water bills. The age-old island-wide water dis-tribution plant is badly in need of re-habilitation, if not replacement, but neither the Government nor WASCO can afford. The decision to charge more for water came after implemen-tation of a 15% VAT rate and preced-ed the removal of half government’s the subsidies on sugar, rice and flour. There had also been a reduction in

fuel subsidies with petrol rates at the pump and the cost of LPG (cooking gas) returned to the dictates of the world market price for oil. That St. Lucians did not demon-strate against the steep increases in water rates had as much to do with their understanding of the national state of economic play as with the manner in which the increase was ap-proached. The government didn’t just go to the parliament and pass a new law to dictate an increase. Instead, it engaged the public and the stake-holders in the process and allowed a commissioned body to professionally guide the process. The water com-pany pleaded for all the more money it needs, the consumers listened and listed their complaints and demands, the commission listened to all and took all arguments into consideration, then arrived at a proposed conclu-sion. That too was publicized and the consumers again had their say, result-ing in a downward adjustment of the commission’s earlier proposed Sew-erage rate. And no, the Commission – not the Minister, not the Cabinet – is holding WASCO to task to ensure that what it agreed to do is implemented so that what was promised to water consumers is delivered. St. Lucia’s water situation is not much different to that of any other similar Caribbean island. What’s dif-ferent is how the problem is being ap-proached. The Popular Participation element is a feature worth studying and emulating elsewhere, as it had paid dividends in St. Lucia. The offer of an Amnesty to defaulters has also helped. With WASCO now given the liquid life-saver of an increase in Wa-ter and Sewerage rates, it is expected that the many long years of criticism of WASCO will become, sooner rather than later, like water under the bridge!

The Roseau Dam has remained largely clogged since Hurricane Tomas and requires a massive de-silting operation that will cost more than the company will ever be able to afford under the old rates.

How one Caribbean government brought water rates up-to-date after 13 years with hardly a sweat, at tear - or even a protest!

e-Source Page 13January to June 2013 Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)


By Marius Modeste

St. Lucia’s Water and Sewerage Com-pany WASCO’s motto is “Water is Life” – and everyone was reminded recently when the Rotary Club of St. Lucia of-ficially handed over a 150,000 imperial gallon water tank at Plateau-Babonneau that will serve over 3,000 residents. One of the more critical needs in ev-ery community is to have running water as frequently as necessary or possible. Without access to water, the effects of ev-ery single social problem are amplified. Communities to be served by the new tank report that they generally receive water one day a week. Some areas have never received running water, which makes it common to see women and children walking up steep hillsides with pails of water. Some communities within the project area

collect water from the river. In his welcome remarks, Rotarian Timothy Moffat said, “This project – The Water Tank -- is by far the biggest project Rotary has taken on in St. Lucia in over thirty years”. After storms and hurricanes, water be-comes very unreliable and could be the cause for health problems -- and for this reason, Minister of Health Alvina Reyn-olds (who is also the Parliamentary Rep-resentative for the area), heaped praise on all the various Rotary branches in St. Lucia and the USA that contributed to the success of the project. Leading members of Rotary and care-givers in the NICE Program sometimes had to carry water to bathe and take care of the elderly persons -- and they too thanked the Rotarians for this “precious gift.” Acting Prime Minister Dr Robert Lew-is, along with District Governor Steve

150,000-gallon tank to provide daily ‘life water’ to 3,000

Ministers all in a row... (left to right) Sports Minister Shawn Edward, Water Minister Jimmy James, Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte, Home Affairs and National Security Minister Philip La Corbiniere

and Health Minister Alvina Reynolds.

District Governor Steve Schlueter sipped the first cup of water…

Schlueter and District Governor-elect Herve Honore, officially turned on the valve to commission the water tank. Dr. Lewis apologized for the absence of Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, who was in Cuba on government busi-ness. According Acting Prime Minister Dr Lewis, “WASCO’s motto is water is life. When NASA astronauts are going on space explorations, the first thing they want to know is: Is there water? There-fore, we recognize the importance of such a project for the people of Plateau-Babonneau -- and by the extension the people of St. Lucia -- so I thank you on behalf of the government and people of St. Lucia.” Public Relations Officer for the project, Judy Deterville, said “A sustained edu-cation and awareness programme forms a significant part of this project. This will not only impact the community, but will be relevant for the country as a whole. “While it may be more difficult to change the mindset of an ageing popu-lation, working to change behaviors in children will impact the future. They will grow with the right attitude to conserve, protect and use water responsibly. “The community and the country will continue to benefit long after the grant funds have been expended”. Rotary officials acknowledged the con-tribution of quantity surveyor Brad Paul, one of the longest-serving Rotarians on the island. His assistance was deemed as “priceless, to say the least”, according to one speaker. He saved the club US$30,000 within the first week of taking on the re-sponsibility of overseeing the construc-tion aspect of the tank, which kept the construction cost both in cash and kind at $700,000.00.

The Babonneau Water Project is ex-pected to initially provide approximate-ly 3,000 residents with potable running water on a daily basis. An elderly gentleman said at the hand-ing-over ceremony, “Rotary gives ‘life water’. The same way the Rotary wheel turns, the same way it acts positively on the lives of others.” The senior citizen went on to say, “This new water supply will lengthen our lives, as we will have less water-borne diseases and less burdens of carrying water up the hill”.

NASA was recently forced to abort a spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS) because of a dangerous water leak in an astronaut's helmet. The leak was so bad that Luca Parmitano, Italy's first spacewalker, could not hear or speak as the spacewalk came to an abrupt end. So bad it was that he asked his spacewalking partner, Christopher Cassidy, for help getting back inside the ISS. The source of the leak wasn't imme-diately known but one possible source being considered was the helmet drink bag that astronauts sip from during spacewalks. However, Mr Parmitano reported that it didn't taste like drink-ing water. Before crewmates inside yanked off his helmet, Mr Parmitano said: "It's a lot of water."

The Evolution of UNEP's Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP)

• Stockhol, Sweden, 1972 was the venue of the historic United Nations Con-frence on the Human Environment that led to the formation of the United Na-tions Environemnt Programme (UNEP).

• In 1974, UNEP launched its Regional Seas Programme with the Caribbean Sea indentified as one of its most im-portant regions.

• In 1976, at the request of Governments of the Wider Caribbean, UNEP initiat-ed the development of the Caribbean Action Plan.

• In 1981, at Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Caribbean Action Plan was adopted.

• In 1983 at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, Governments of the Wider Caribbean Re-gion adopted the Convention for the Pro-tection and Development of the Marine En-vironment of the Wider Caribbean Region known also as the Cartagena Convention.

• In 1986, the Caribbean Regional Co-ordinating Unit was established in Kingston, Jamaica and is hosted by the Government of Jamaica. This Unit is the Secretariat for the CEP. It works in conjunction with a number of national agencies as well as through its Regional Activity Centres (RACs): Center of En-gineering and Environmental Manage-ment of Coasts and Bays (Cimab) in Cuba, Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) in Trinidad and Tobago, Regional Ma-rine Maritime Pollution Emergency In-formation and Training Centre (REM-PEITC- Caribe) in Curacao, as well as the SPAW RAC in Guadeloupe, France.

Beloved Threat Oil and its by-products are precious commodities that fetch high prices on

world trade markets and fuel modern day necessities. Ships, aircraft and mo-tor vehicles as well as our national elec-tricity supplies depend on oil. But when oil seeps into our waterways and spill in our seas it becomes a hazard of huge proportions. Fish kills follow, marine life is compromised and entire habitats on which fishing, tourism and recreation depend are threatened, if not perma-nently destroyed.

Cherished Seascapes Whether the West Indian Manatee, the tasty spiny lobster and conch that are over-harvested delicacies, sea-birds or sea turtles, coral reefs, mangroves or sea grass beds, the Caribbean seascape, like its landscape, is bursting with beauty of an exquisite kind and outstanding eco-nomic value. Much of it is now threat-ened and too much is disappearing.

Death on Tides Sewage, pesticides, fertilizers, eroded soil, used oil and dangerous industrial chemicals, sunscreen, simple throw-aways like styrofoam containers and plastic bags from seaside picnics and reg-ular household garbage... all these find their way into the sea. Though the hori-zon seems limitless and ocean depths be-yond measure, our finite seas and fragile sea creatures are being slowly poisoned. After a storm or hurricane, the things we thought that we had thrown "away" stare back at us. The garbage piled on sandy beaches by the last high tides is strewn amongst the tell-take signs of damaged coral reefs and threatened wildlife. Changing our attitudes and behaviour on land can turn again the tide of death that threatens our coastal waters.

NASA rarely cuts a spacewalk short, but the Italian could have choked on the floating water droplets in the helmet. The trouble cropped up barely an hour into what was to be a six-hour spacewalk to perform cabling work and other routine maintenance. It was the astronauts’ second spacewalk in eight days. Mr Parmitano startled everyone when he announced that he felt a lot of water on the back of his head. He had first thought the liquid was sweat brought on by the exertion of the job. But he was repeatedly assured it could not be. Early estimates suggested about half a litre of water had leaked out.The water eventually got into Mr Par-mitano’s eyes. When that happened, ground controllers ordered the two men back inside the station.

Water leak halts spacewalk

This was the second spacewalk in eight days for Mr Parmitano (L) and Chris Cassidy (R)

From the Wide World to our Caribbean Sea

e-SourcePage 14 January to June 2013 Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)


GEF CReW’s Regional Baseline As-sessment included an assessment of the status of the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based. Sources and Activities (the LBS Protocol) in selected Caribbean countries - Anti-gua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. This aimed to provide a baseline for the design and imple-mentation of future capacity building interventions. Of the countries surveyed, Surina-me is the only country that has not yet acceded to the Cartagena Convention, while Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines have not ratified or ac-ceded to the LBS Protocol. The other four countries - Antigua and Barbu-da, Guyana, St. Lucia and Trinidad. Trinidad & Tobago have ratified or acceded to both the Convention and the Protocol. The study confirmed that there is a great disparity between the countries with respect to their status in rela-tion to the Protocol. While all of the countries have to some extent sought to prevent, reduce and control pollu-tion of the marine environment from land-based sources and activities, some have made more progress than others. It also confirmed that even those countries that have not yet acceded to the Protocol are under-taking activities that fall within its purview. The study found that these coun-tries generally face the same chal-lenges and constraints in their efforts to address Protocol related activities, to varying extents:• Lack of financing. • Inadequate (and sometimes uncoor-

dinated) policy, legislative and in-stitutional frameworks to facilitate the fulfilment of the countries’ obli-gations under the Protocol.

• Lack of human, financial and tech-nical resources.

• Old infrastructure. • Lack of adequate maintenance and

poor operational systems.• A need for sustained water quality

monitoring programmes as well as more comprehensive information management systems.

• A need for more focussed pub-lic awareness and environmental education programmes in respect of pollution of the marine environ-ment.

The assessment covered: the sta-tus of river and coastal water qual-ity; status of implementation of Pro-tocol related activities; areas relating to the Protocol that are of greatest concern to the countries; challenges faced in the implementation of the Protocol; and areas where CReW can assist in addressing the chal-lenges faced. In countries which have not al-ready acceded to the LBS Protocol it also included: areas relating to the Protocol that are of greatest concern; the main stumbling blocks to ratifi-cation; a list of areas where CReW can assist in moving the accession process forward; and recommended steps to be taken to accede to the Protocol. Areas where assistance is needed included the following, most of which were identified by all or most of the countries: • Funding for the development of

laboratory capacity in support of monitoring programmes;

• Formulation and implementation of relevant policies;

• Enhancing institutional capacity through training and the provision of technical and other assistance;

• Review of the legislative and regu-latory framework and drafting of legislation to address the weak-nesses and gaps identified;

• Design and implementation of pub-lic awareness and environmental educational programmes;

• Accessing and adopting more ap-propriate technology;

• Establishing data management sys-tems both for national analytical purposes and for facilitating the ex-change of information;

• Evaluation of the economic impacts of pollution resulting from nutri-ents and wastewater;

• Provision of “easy” financial ar-

rangements to assist industries in upgrading their treatment;

• Developing public awareness pro-grammes;

• Guidance on the development of a wastewater permitting systems.

The assessment concluded that all of the countries, whether or not they have acceded to the Protocol, face some challenges in respect of address-ing Protocol related activities. Through Component 2 ‘Reforms for Wastewater Management’, CReW is working with these countries to prioritize and deliver activities which address some of these needs. It is however up to the countries them-selves to commit to the implementa-tion of the Protocol related activities and to integrating them into national agendas and the work programmes of implementing agencies.

CReW Project Coordinator Denise Forrest explaining some of the findings…

CReW examines status of LBS Protocol in Selected Countries

With the increasing use of bot-tles water across the Caribbean, more and more countries are tak-ing steps to ensure proper qual-ity water is offered to consumers. St. Lucia is no exception and re-cently, Paradise Springs Ltd and Sunfresh Limited -- both bottlers of purified drinking water on the island -- were informed they had met the requirements to be re-issued licenses for use of the St. Lucia Standard Mark. This showed the two compa-nies had maintained rigorous standards regimes to satisfy the Bureau they had met the require-ments for certification to use the quality seal. Paradise Springs has for the last 11 years been relicensed to use the mark, making the com-pany the longest user of the Saint Lucia Standard Mark. Sunfresh Ltd, bottlers of Winfresh H2O-Purified Drinking Water, was first licensed in 2010. Head of Certification at the Bu-reau, Dr Xanthe Dubison said, "These companies have been in-volved in the bottling of purified drinking water and the licensing agreement is basically the end re-sult of our product certification programme. This involves a re-gime of inspection and auditing

of the facilities, followed by testing of the product.” There are two elements involved in the Product Certification Pro-

gramme: quality management and food safety systems. These are imple-mented at the level of the manufac-turing facilities. The product label

shows the quality seal, which provides the consumer that level of confidence in the product. On the importance of the li-cense, Dubison said: "We have two national standards against which these companies are as-sessed. These companies, once they have passed the inspection are issued a license which verti-cally states that they have met the requierments of the Standards. General Manager of Sunfresh, Tessa Bolard, expressed her grati-tude for the licensing: "We are pleased to be associated with the Bureau of Standards and to be li-censed under them to produce bottled water. You have to attain a particular level to attain the license, and this is what we have done." General Manager of Goddard Catering and Paradise Water, An-thony Samuel, said: "We were one of the first bottled water compa-nies to carry the Standards mark, which we are very proud of. “Carrying the standards mark is very important because it asso-ciates us with the quality that we pride our water on. “Having the Bueau involved was good for us because it en-sured that we stuck to the re-quirements needed for the health and safety of the consumers."

Bottled Water quality being assessed for approval

e-Source Page 15January to June 2013 Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)


Visit cwwa.net and click on the link conference2013 to access registration forms and additional information.

Contact the CWWA’s Conference Secretariat. Email: [email protected] Tel: (246) 432-7862 or 7863 or Fax: (246) 432-7964

Presentations from professionals in the Water, Wastewater & Solid waste sectors

High Level Sessions for Decision-makers in the Sectors Exhibitors & Delegates from the Caribbean, North &

South America, UK, Europe ... Internet & Business Centre

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with attendees Êfrom across the globe.Ê

Take advantage of the Early Bird Registration

Schedule at a Glance October 6: Registration & Exhibition Set-up

October 7: Registration, Exhibition Set-up, Official Opening Ceremony & Welcome

Reception

October 8: Exhibition Opens with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

October 8—10: Exhibition, Plenary Ses-sions, Technical Sessions,

October 11: Tours & Field Trips, Awards Ceremony

Register Now!!!

Exhibition ● Networking Opportunities ● Knowledgeable Presenters ● Lunch

“Wastewater & Management in the Caribbean: Cooperation for Action”

Caribbean Water & Wastewater Association

22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE in collaboration with

The Barbados Water Authority

OctoberÊ6—11,Ê2013ÊBarbados Hilton Resort, Needhams Point, St. Michael, BARBADOS

The Planning Committee reserves the right to make adjustments to this sched-ule for the enhancement and benefit of all participants.Ê

e-SourcePage 16 January to June 2013 Vols. 1 & 2 (Special Edition)

Date post:	18-Nov-2014
Category:	News & Politics
Upload:	cawasa
View:	333 times
Download:	6 times

CAWASA e-Source Newsletter - Issue 5 : January - June 2013

News & Politics