Water sector needs to evolve

The Caribbean has evolved as a region with high levels of water scarcity, further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

 

“Can we address the water scarcity situation and reverse these trends in the context of a sector that is almost entirely ?” President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Warren Smith recently queried.

 

He told the 12th Annual Barbados Fair Trading Commission Lecture, “Regulating Utilities in Small Island Developing States – Lessons for the Caribbean”, that for the water sector to evolve and transform itself in accordance with changing climate conditions, and the economic and social imperatives of their countries, there will have to be regulatory reforms mirroring those which are occurring in the electricity sector.

 

“These reforms should include the establishment of appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks to encourage private investment in new water harvesting and production technologies, including desalination, while changing consumption behaviours and attitudes.”

 

According to Dr Smith, the feasibility of utilising “grey water” for agriculture should also be examined. 

 

He said that at present, this type of framework is generally absent in Caribbean countries, where there is also significant under-investment. “Governments must act urgently to address issues of governance, management and viability so that an a

dequate, high quality, reliable and affordable supply of water is available to support transformational economic growth and sustainable development.” (TL)