Co-operation needed in water management needed

Barbados’ Minister with charge of Water Resource Management, Dr. David Estwick, has called for consistent co-operation among regional countries in the holistic management of water, wastewater and solid waste resources.

Speaking at the opening of the 22nd Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) held earlier last week, Dr. Estwick remarked that increasing demands on water resources for domestic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural purposes have made wastewater reclamation an attractive option for conserving and extending available potable water supplies.

Noting that the focus of the conference this year on wastewater management was of particular interest to him, the Minister further petitioned for the various stakeholder entities in the Caribbean to rally together in their approach, so that the prosperity and sustainable development of the region’s people could be achieved.

“When there is a reduction or absence of co-operation in water and wastewater management, the ‘co-operation chain’ is broken resulting in less effective management of resources, which result in adverse effects on human lives and the economy. However, when the resources are co-operatively shared and managed, [the opposite of this is] more likely to be achieved,” Dr. Estwick commented.

He urged participants from the various water, wastewater and solid waste sectors across the region, who had come together to share experiences and knowledge throughout the duration of the forum, to extend this type of co-operation throughout the year. Citing examples of this close to home, the Minister informed his audience that the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) and the National Water Commission (NWC) in Jamaica, through the facilitation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), had already taken steps in this direction.

“These entities are currently finalising a Memorandum of Understanding, agreeing on areas of co-operation in order to facilitate the consistent exchange of experiences, knowledge and skills,” Dr. Estwick disclosed.

“One of the areas that the utilities would be committed to is the exchanging of information for projects, which have been successfully implemented, in order to mutually improve their overall performance in the delivery of water and wastewater services,” he went on to explain. (RA)