Financial challenges and wastewater policy were high on the agenda at a High Level Session Ministerial Forum for Caribbean Water Ministers last Thursday. The session was part of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association’s (CWWA) 22nd Annual Conference and Exhibition which took place in Barbados this year and was hosted by the Barbados Water Authority.
The session, the ninth of its kind, was opened by Dr. David Estwick, Barbados’ Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Water Resource Management. The theme of the discussions was “Water and Sanitation and the Post 2015 Development Agenda: Addressing Wastewater Policy and Financial Challenges in the Caribbean”.
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| FROM LEFT: President of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association, O'Reiley Lewis; Donna Sue-Spencer, Communications Specialist with Caribbean Regional Fund for Wasterwater Management (CReW); and Gabrielle Lee Look, Communications Specialist with Global Water Partnership Caribbean (GWP-C). |
The release also disclosed that there would be discussions on available opportunities for training, financing new infrastructure and south-south cooperation as well as the endorsement of specific approaches and activities.
In his opening remarks, Minister Estwick lamented that “in the Caribbean, what often receives little attention are the challenges that many of our small developing islands face in maintaining their quality of life”.
He noted that a surprising number of households in small and rural communities still lacked the adequate facilities for the proper collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater. The Minister
cautioned that ensuring proper wastewater treatment and disposal were as important for protecting community health as well as potable water treatment, garbage collection and immunisation programmes. (RA)
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