cawasa newsletter 1st quarter 2011

CAWASA Newsletter #1 2011e-source

In This Issue! WANTED: A new business model for water!

! From CBWMP to CAWASA - The Transition

! Secretariat News

! CAWASA has a long 2011 ‘To Do’ list

! Why World Water Day?

! Ban Ki Moon World Water Day Message 2011

! World Water Facts

! Guyana to spend $1 Billion to improve urban water distribution

! What price [bottled] water?

! We only miss the water when…

! Wise Water Tips

! Tomas taught again that “A stitch in time…”

Dear Reader!CAWASA is pleased to launch its quarterly newsletter. We invite contributions to this publication to highlight your utility’s achievements and challenges during the period.

Please forward your contribution to [email protected]

PO Box RB2293Gros Islet, St. Lucia

Tel:(758)458-0601Fax:(758)458-0191

Email:[email protected]

CAWASA Inc.Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association Incorporated

e-source


CAWASA Newsletter #1 2011

WANTED: A new business model for water!The CAWASA Executive Director says there’s a workable way to make Caribban water

utilities efficient and profitable.

CAWASA's Executive Director, Victor Poyotte, is again calling for “a new business model for water in the Caribbean” - one that will feature “public ownership with private participation.”

The Executive Director has made this call before at meetings of the Caribbean Basin Water Management Program (CBWMP), the predecessor of CAWASA. He's now repeated the call against the background of increasing difficulties facing largely public-owned water utilities in a competitive market already fraught with dangers ranging from natural disasters to insufficient capitalization.

CAWASA covers most Caribbean water utilities. Most are government-owned or controlled either as government departments, statutory authorities or public companies. Most therefore depend directly on the government' treasury for funding.

The government owned utilities are forced to supply water to consumers at below the cost of production because of the failure of the minister or cabinet to grant tariff increases on a timely basis. On average most utilities receive tariff increases between 150-20 years with regards to regulation, all the region's water utilities, one way or another, depend on ministerial dictates or Cabinet fiat. None are regulated by Independent Commissions (except in St. Lucia, where provision is made in legislation passed in 2005). However, the National Water Commission as it is called is yet to be operationalized.

With most CAWASA member utilities falling into the category of government regulated entities and their increasing difficulties due to current operational constraints, Mr Poyotte recommends that utilities and governments “look at a new business model that will better serve each island or territory for the future.”

He specifically recommends “creation of a joint venture comprising Government, public agencies and corporations, regional and international investors, as well as small local investors.” In that way, he added, “the small man will see he also has a stake in the utility and this type of public utility, with private sector participation, will provide the vehicle to take the utilities forward into new directions in these new times.”

The CAWASA Executive Director says the model he advocates already exists and is working.

“We're not talking about reinventing the wheel here. St. Lucia's lone electric utility company is operating successfully with this type of structure,” he says.

“This type of mixed leadership would include participation by a varied combination of entities, ranging from individuals and credit unions, insurance companies, banks and other local financial institutions, to regional and international investors,” he said.

CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte has extensive experience in management of both water and

electricity regional utility bodies.

e-source CAWASA Newsletter #1 2011

Under the proposed system, the CAWASA Executive Director said, “responsibility for the process of regulation of the water utilities will also be removed from the realm of the Executive (Government only) to that of an Independent Commission.”

He said a competent independent approach to regulation is necessary, “because the pace of delivery and progress can most times be dictated, not by operational efficiency or financial viability, but by likely electoral or other consequences of much-needed actions.”

To effect these changes, said Mr Poyotte, “the governments and utilities should look again at the water sector policies, and legislative instruments and regulations and seriously review them all.”

The CAWASA Executive Director's proposed new business model involves a threefold approach: establish control of the resource through creation of a Water Resource Management Agency, issue licenses to water utilities to deliver the service to citizens, and regulate the supply through an independent commission.



From CBWMP to CAWASA

The Transition

The Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Inc. (CAWASA), is a regional association of water utilities in the Caribbean.

Incorporated in St Lucia in May 2010, CAWASA has become the successor to the Caribbean Basin Water Management Programme Inc (CBWMP Inc) -- which was itself incorporated in Barbados in 1996 as the successor to Caribbean Basin Water Management Project, financed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Ten water utilities were the original members of CBWMP: Anguilla Water Department, Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), Barbados Water Authority (BWA), BVI Water & Sewerage Department (WSD), Dominica Water & Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO), Montserrat Water Authority (MWA), Nevis Water Department (NWD), St. Lucia Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA), St. Vincent & the Grenadines Central Water & Sewerage Authority (CWSA), Public Works Department of Turks & Caicos (PWD). They now all belong to the CAWASA.

At the Annual General Meeting held in Jamaica from October 1-2, 1999, the CBWMP Board adopted a Resolution to accept four other member water utilities -- Belize, Cayman Islands, Grenada and St Kitts.

In October 2001, the 14 member water utilities were reduced by one when the Belize Water Authority was privatised and the new company, the Belize Water Services, did not retain membership.

The evolution of CAWASA followed internal assessments and reflection by the leadership of the Caribbean water utilities of the evolving changes in the dynamics of the regional water and sanitation sector and the need for adjustments to meet the challenges of continuity for the sector as a whole.

The year 2011 will be CAWASA's first and all member utilities share the Secretariat's will to make it as successful as can be.



Secretariat News

CAWASA collaborates with World Bank and the OECS Secretariat on Integrated Water Resources Management Policy Forum

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), with support from the World Bank, has been developing a regional initiative entitled “OECS Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Policy Forum.” This initiative is a two-part workshop series intended to create a forum for technical practitioners and decision makers to address current regional trends of land-use and watershed management that pose a threat to long-term, economic development goals and climate change adaptation.

The first workshop was held at the Bay Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, from 9-10 March 2011, under the theme: “How do technical practitioners bridge the gap between data and policy making?”

One of the main objectives of the workshop was to provide participants with an opportunity to learn to effectively communicate policy recommendations for integrated water resources management by performing stakeholder consultations and examining current/future data needs and assessment tools to support this responsibility.

The workshop was coordinated by Bradley Lyon, Consultant, Latin America and the Caribbean region of the World Bank, while Peter Murray, Programme Officer of the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) provided assistance.

Some 51 persons representing 9 member-states of the OECS sub-region attended the workshop.

Among the countries represented were Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, St Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Crispin d’Auvergne, Chief Sustainable Development in the Division of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Physical Development & Environment in St. Lucia, delivered the keynote address.

The main presenters included Jeff Arnold of the United States Department of Agriculture, John Joseph of WASCO, St Lucia, Trevor Thompson of the Grenada Ministry of Agriculture, Adrian Trotman of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Victor Poyotte, Executive Director of the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association (CAWASA), Shanta King and Laverne Walker of the Division of Sustainable Development in the Ministry of Physical Development and Environment, Jerry Meier, Environmental Specialist of the World Bank, Vasantha Chase, Consultant for Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

In the second workshop, decision and policymakers will examine the effects of current policies and economic sectors such as tourism and agriculture, which directly contribute to watershed degradation and loss of freshwater production.

Additionally, participants will identify and introduce country-specific needs, both technical and policy-oriented, in order to overcome the challenges of sustainable water resources management in the region.



CWWA and CAWASA officials meet and talk in Trinidad

Funding for the Centre of Excellence

In October 2010, officials of the Caribbean Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA) and the Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Inc (CAWASA; formerly CBWMP), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signaling their intention to work closer together to address issues of mutual concern in the water and wastewater sector.

Currently, the two associations are collaborating on a number of regional initiatives, including a proposal for the consolidation of the Caribbean Water Operators' Partnership, the formation of an AWWA Caribbean Section and the design of a regional institutional strengthening project for submission to the European Union.

Theobalds Consulting has submitted final drawings for the construction of the CAWASA Centre of Excellence to the Secretariat.

Full costing proposals for constructing the facility have been submitted by Desmond Auguste & Associate.

At the Annual General Meeting of CAWASA held in Anguilla in December 2010, the Executive Committee met with the newly-elected President of CWWA. It was agreed then that CWWA and CAWASA should convene a joint meeting in April 2011, to discuss areas of collaboration within the Water and Wastewater sector in the Caribbean.”

The meeting was held on 1st April 2011 at the Conference Room of the Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) in St. Joseph, Trinidad. CAWASA was represented by officers of the Executive Committee, the Executive Director and the Programme Officer.

One output of the meeting was an Action Plan for future collaboration between CWWA and CAWASA.Mr. Vincent Sweeney, Coordinator of the GEF-IWCAM Project, assisted in funding, attended and participated in the workshop.

CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte (front at left) and the two Presidents with participants.


Secretariat News


Executive Director conducts training in St. Vincent and Grenada

Executive Director represented CariWOP at GWOPA Congress in South Africa

The Executive Director of CAWASA conducted a two-day training course in Supervisory Management and Performance Management for staff of St. Vincent's Central Water & Sewerage Authority (CWSA).

This training was conducted at the CWSA Training Room in St Vincent from February 21st to 24th 2011, with a total of 20 participants. Some 55% believed the overall Supervisory Management course was excellent, while 60% found the overall Performance Management course to be excellent.

The Executive Director also conducted Supervisory Management (2) training at the National Water & Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) at the NAWASA Training Room in Grenada on March 2nd and 3rd 2011. Some 26 supervisors participated in the Grenada training.

Executive Director of CAWASA, Victor Poyotte, represented the Caribbean Water Operators Partnerships (CariWOPs) at the first Bi- Annual Global WOPs Congress and GWOPA General Assembly on March 20th and 21st, 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mr. Poyotte was among several delegates worldwide invited by the Programme Manager of the Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA), UN-HABITAT.

The congress and GWOPA General Assembly were held in conjunction with the World Water Day celebration on 22nd March. It brought together operators, alliance members and partners from around the world, for this first major global Water Operators Partnerships (WOPs) event.

One of the objectives of the congress was to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on WOPs, develop new partnerships between operators and generally raise the profile of the practice.

The congress was a major opportunity for WOPs practitioners and supporters to exchange with others from around the world.

CAWASA Executive Director lectured at the Grenada

workshop.

The St. Vincent workshop in progress.

The conference theme and logo

Participants at the South Africa meeting.


Secretariat News


CAWASA attends Caricom Consortium on Water

The 2nd Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Consortium on Water Meeting was held at the Bay Gardens Hotel in Saint Lucia on January 27-29, 2011.

The meeting brought together Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) agencies and stakeholders in the region, to discuss, among other things, the development of a Common Water Framework for member states. Agenda items included: Consolidated Work Programme 2011-12, Country Water Assessments, Development of a Virtual Clearing House and Library of Water Resources Projects, Common Water Framework, and Resource Mobilization Strategy for the Consortium.

A joint Work Programme incorporating Members’ planned activities for 2011 was partially developed along seven thematic areas: Governance, Training & Capacity Building, Public Education and Outreach, Technical Assistance, Research & Development, Knowledge Management Systems and Resource Mobilization. The Work Programme will be finalised upon further discussions among the group.

Participating agencies/organizations included: Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI), Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI). Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association Inc (CAWASA), Caribbean WaterNet, Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), Global Environment Facility – Integrating Watershed & Coastal Areas Management (GEF-IWCAM Project), Global Water Partnership Caribbean (GWP-C), Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), University of Guyana, University of Suriname, University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

A follow-up meeting of the CARICOM Consortium on Water is scheduled for the latter part of 2011.

The Secretariat was represented by CAWASA’s Programme Officer, Suzanne Joseph.

Participants at the 2nd Consortium on Water Meeting held in St Lucia – January 27-29, 2011


Secretariat News


Joint CWWA/CAWASA Project Concept Note not selected for EU Funding

In 2010, the European Commission under its Europe Aid Programme put out a Call for Proposals entitled “ACP-EU Water Facility Partnerships for Capacity Development in the ACP Water & Sanitation Sector.” CBWMP submitted an application on behalf of CWWA and CBWMP for the Creation of a Regional Platform for Best Practice and Advocacy in the Caribbean Water Sector and Consolidation of the Caribbean Water Operator's Partnerships (CariWOPs) Alliance. By letter dated 28th February 2011, Tomas Mateo Goyet, Chairperson of the Evaluation Committee informed CAWASA, as the applicant, that the “Concept Note” was not selected by the Evaluation Committee for the submission of a full application.


Secretariat News


CAWASA has a long 2011 ‘To Do’ list

The accomplishments of the CBWMP (CAWASA’s predecessor) were reported at the 2010 Annual General Meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. For this year (2011), CAWASA has a long list of tasks and objectives to achieve, including the following, some of which have already been accomplished.

CARICOM Consortium Meeting on Water: From 27-29 January 2011, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Consortium on Water held its second meeting at Bay Gardens Hotel in Saint Lucia, bringing together Integrated Water Resource Management agencies and stakeholders in the region. The Work Programme will be finalised upon further discussions among the group and a follow-up meeting of the CARICOM Consortium on Water is scheduled for the latter part of 2011.

World Bank/OECS “Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)” Forum: The CAWASA Secretariat has been collaborating with the OECS and the World Bank on the implementation of a regional two-part workshop series on “Integrated Water Resources Management Policy.” A first workshop was held at the Bay Gardens Hotel in Saint Lucia from 9-10 March 2011 under the theme “How do technical practitioners bridge the gap between data and policy making?” In the second workshop, decision and policymakers will examine the effects of current policies and economic sectors such as tourism and agriculture, which directly contribute to watershed degradation and loss of freshwater production.

AWWA Caribbean Section: At the joint meeting of officials of the Caribbean Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA) and the Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Inc (CAWASA) held in Trinidad on Friday 1st April 2011, the Presidents of CWWA and CAWASA signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signaling their intention to work closer together to address issues of mutual concern in the water, wastewater and solid waste sector. The two associations agreed to collaborate on a number of regional initiatives including consolidation of the Caribbean Water Operators' Partnership, the formation of an AWWA Caribbean Section and the institutional strengthening of member utilities.MUL-WASCO Twinning Proposal: The Montserrat Utilities Limited (MUL) and the Water & Sewerage Company (WASCO) have been collaborating on a twinning arrangement for WASCO to facilitate the attachment of a Laboratory Technician and Pump Attendant from MUL. The proposal will be modified to meet the requirements of GWOPA and was finalized and submitted to WOP-LAC in April 2011.

Training Programme: The Executive Director will conduct a series of short courses in Supervisory Management and Performance Management for supervisory personnel of member utilities. At least four other courses are planned to be conducted by the Secretariat by the fiscal year ending June 2011. They include Procurement and Inventory, Financial Management for Non-Financial Managers, Operations & Maintenance of Sewage Treatment Plants, Laboratory Quality Assurance & Method Quality Control.

Utility Reform Workshop: The CAWASA Secretariat, in collaboration with the CDB, will conduct a joint workshop entitled “Designing and Implementing Successful Utility Reform in Water Supply and Sanitation.” The three-day workshop is aimed at improving understanding of the different stages of reform and identifying appropriate actions to be taken at each stage. It will focus on such topics as utility challenges, financial sustainability, asset management, institutional strengthening, performance improvement planning and strategic communication.



GEF-IWCAM Support for Water Operators' Conference: The Integrated Watershed & Coastal Areas Management Project, through its Project Coordinator, is collaborating with the CAWASA Secretariat to host a course in Wastewater Reuse in conjunction with the 2011 Water Operators Conference. This training will involve the installation of a treatment facility at an IWCAM Demonstration site to be completed in Antigua later in the year and whose effluent is intended for re-use. A regional Wastewater Specialist has been identified by the Secretariat to design and conduct the wastewater reuse training course.

Funding for the Centre of Excellence: Plans by the Secretariat to establish a first ever “Centre of Excellence” in Saint Lucia is moving ahead steadily. Theobalds Consulting has completed preliminary drawings for the construction of the facility, WASCO has arranged for a Land Surveyor to survey the portion of land allocated by the utility at Beausajour, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet for the facility.

Based on preliminary discussions with our banks 1st National Bank in St. Lucia the Secretariat engaged Desmond Auguste & Associates to prepare a valuation of the land and cost estimates for the construction of the facility. Once these activities are completed and the Executive Committee gives the go ahead a formal proposal will be submitted to the bank for consideration.

Operators Certification Examinations: This year the Secretariat will be holding the next Operators Certification Examination in June and November 2011. A number of individuals from regional and international non-member utilities in the water and other water-related fields have indicated their interests in pursuing the examinations with CAWASA.

Strategic Alliances: For some time now, the Secretariat has been trying to established contact with officials from water utilities in the three French Departments of Cayenne, Guadeloupe and Martinique with a view to collaborating and networking on various areas of interests. The Secretariat has written to the St Lucia Consulate General in Martinique, Mr. Keats Compton, seeking his assistance in arranging a meeting between the Executive Committee of CAWASA and the management of the three utilities with a view to deciding on areas of collaboration.



“In a world of plenty, 800 million still have no access to safe drinking water.”

World Water Day was celebrated on March 22nd with governments and institutions the world over using the occasion to highlight water issues and promote good water practices.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued the following message for this year.

“As the world charts a more sustainable future, the crucial interplay among water, food and energy is one of the most formidable challenges we face. Without water there is no dignity and no escape from poverty. Yet, the Millennium Development Goal target for water and sanitation is among those on which many countries lag the most.

“In little over a generation, 60 percent of the global population will be living in towns and cities, with much of the increase taking place in the inner city slums and squatter settlements of the developing world. The theme of this year's observance of World Water Day “Water for Cities” highlights some of the main challenges of this increasingly urban future.

“Urbanization brings opportunities for more efficient water management and improved access to drinking water and sanitation. At the same time, problems are often magnified in cities, and are currently outpacing our ability to devise solutions.

“Over the past decade, the number of urban dwellers who lack access to a water tap in their home or immediate vicinity has risen by an estimated 114 million, and the number of those who lack access to the most basic sanitation facilities has risen by 134 million. This 20 percent increase has had a hugely detrimental impact on human health and on economic productivity: people are sick and unable to work.

“Water challenges go beyond questions of access. In many countries, girls are forced to drop out of school owing to a lack of sanitation facilities, and women are harassed or assaulted when carrying water or visiting a public toilet.

“Moreover, the poorest and most vulnerable members of society often have little choice but to buy water from informal vendors at prices estimated to be 20 to 100 percent higher than that of their richer neighbours, who receive piped city water in their homes. This is not just unsustainable; it is unacceptable.

“Water problems will figure prominently at the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, in 2012 Rio+20. My High-level Panel on Global Sustainability and UN-Water are examining ways in which we can connect the dots among water, energy and food security, with the aim of reducing poverty and inequality, generating jobs, and minimizing the risks of climate change and environmental stress.

“On World Water Day, I urge Governments to reorganise the urban water crisis for what it is a crisis of governance, weak policies and poor management, rather than one of scarcity. Let us also pledge to reverse the alarming decline in per capita investment in water and sanitation. And let us reaffirm our commitment to ending the plight of the more than 800 million people who, in a world of plenty, still do not have the safe drinking water or sanitation they need for a life in dignity and good health.”

Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary-General



Why World Water Day?“Water for Cities – Responding to the urban challenge”

World Water Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as an international day for observance nd

on March 22 each year back in 1992. The first observance was in 1993.

The date was selected for annual observance as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and

advocating for the sustained management of fresh water resources.

The world's water is under severe pressure. Rural-Urban drift and expansion of cities creates need for housing and

growth of slums with creation of more needs for water.

Development of slums across the world had increased at a rate of 18 million people per year between 1990 and

2001 and this figure is projected to increase by 27 million people per year between 2005 and 2020.

This rapid expansion of urban and slum populations and the projected expansion add to the pressures on existing

water and sanitation systems, with threats of water contamination and environmental pollution resulting in possible

sanitation problems that create water-borne and sanitation-related diseases such as cholera epidemics, skin

illnesses, as well as faecal and oral diseases such as diarrhoea and outbreaks of malaria.

Rapid urbanization is also affected by industrialization, climate change, conflicts and natural disasters that all affect

urban water systems. Climate change is resulting in weather patterns that create everything from long droughts to

flooding, tsunamis and earthquakes, all are increasingly affecting water.

Addressing rapid urbanization will require sustainable water management practices by all stakeholders.

Governments will have to establish proper pollution control and flood prevention systems to ensure sustainable and

equitable use of urban water resources.



World Water Facts

· Half of humanity lives in cities where urban population grows by two persons every second;· Africa and Asia will see their urban populations double by 2020; · The UN estimates that more than 3 billion people may suffer from water shortages by 2025.· Only 8% of the world's fresh water is suitable for domestic consumption, whilst water consumption

is growing twice as fast as the population increases;· Up to three-quarters of the earth's surface is water, but less than 0.03% is drinkable;· Less than 3% of the world's freshwater is available for human consumption;· 1.2 billion people in developing countries lack access to safe sources of water;· Over 141 million urban dwellers in Latin America and the Caribbean do not have access to safe

drinking water;· 2.4 billion people lack access to safe sanitation services;· 3 billion people every year suffer from water-related infections;· More than 5 million are killed every year mostly by diarrhea-related diseases caused by lack of

water;· Each day over 10,000 children under the age of five in developing countries die as a result of

illnesses contracted by use of impure water;· Global demand for fresh water doubles every 20 years, which is twice as fast as human population

growth;· Millions of women in several countries have to walk at least three miles daily to fetch water; · World agricultural yield will decrease by 50% by 2020;· By 2050 the world's water will have to support agricultural systems to produce enough food for an

additional 2.7 billion people;· More than one billion people in water-poor regions around the world survive each day on the same

amount of water used to flush a toilet or bathe for five minutes only five litres.· Each person in the world requires only 13 gallons (48 litres) of water per day; in the USA each

person uses an average of 132 gallons (500 litres), Canadians use an average of 79 gallons (300 litres) and in England each person uses 52 gallons ( 200 litres) daily;

· Water is important to production: To manufacture each new car requires use of 39,000 gallons (148,000 litres) of water;

· Water can be consumed in strange ways: A 60-watt incandescent build can consume up to 6,000 gallons (22,710 litres) of water per year;

· Water and energy are critically interrelated and mutually dependent, as each needs the other: production of energy requires large amounts of water and production of water requires large amounts of energy;

· Production of drinking water from impure sources can be quite costly on energy: Processing each one cubic metre of drinkable water through desalination using reverse osmosis (forcing salty water through a membrane to remove the salt) requires about 2k Wh of electricity.



Wise Water Tips

12 Ways You Can Conserve Water

Changing the water situation is all about changing attitudes. A small change in behaviour and attitude can make a big difference -- and it all begins with saving one drop. Here are a dozen tips on how you can conserve and save water:

1. Wash Hands Efficiently: Turn off the water while you soap your hands and rinse briefly.

2. Brush teeth Wisely: Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save four gallons a minute. (That amounts to a family of four saving 200 gallons per week).

3. Flush Only When Necessary: Put paper, insects, hair and other such waste in a trash can instead of into the toilet bowl.

4. Don't Waste Drinking Water: Instead of keeping the tap running until the warm water gets colder, keep a pitcher of water in the fridge.

5. Use Less Water For Dishes: Scrape your dishes clean to reduce rinsing; run the dishwasher only when it's full.

6. Take Half-full Baths: Try bathing in a tub that's only half full to save the water and energy used to heat it.

7. Shorten Your Showers: Shorter showers save both energy and water. Keeping your shower under five minutes can save 1,000 gallons per month.

8. Stop Leaks: Turn off water faucets tightly so they don't drip and fix any leaks soonest.

9. Wash Clothes Wisely: Make sure your clothes really need cleaning before washing, ash only when you have a full load and use cold water whenever possible.

10.Don't Over-water Your Lawn: Water lawns only every three-to-five days in the dry season and avoid watering driveways, sidewalks and gutters.

11.Sweep to Save: Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean off sideways and driveways.

12.Wash Cars Wisely: Use a hose nozzle and turn off the water when soaping your car, which can save at least 100 gallons.



What price [bottled] water?

Caribbean citizens are paying quite a heavy price to quench their thirst. With each passing disaster or crisis they have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay more for bottled water, in addition to their own water bills.

In the process, Caribbean water utilities are also paying a heavy price just to survive and deliver water. Local utilities, mostly out of cash, owed heavily and in debt, can hardly afford to upgrade their services and improve quality. Heavily regulated, they cannot charge the real cost of delivery of their product and services. Their cash wells are emptying as their coffers dry up.

But not so for the importers and distributors of bottled water. Supermarkets and private water outlets sell bottled water at will -- and at any price. Unregulated and left to the forces of the marketplace, demand dictates supply and rising costs. The brands are many and the tastes and quality vary. But with each crisis affecting local water supply, the cost of bottled water goes up everywhere. The period following Hurricane Tomas was the most recent example, when bottled water increased in price with each renewed stock.

The competition from bottled water is driving local water utilities down the drain. Kept under state and ministerial wraps, they have to await tariff increases that don't usually come in less than ten years, while the cost of producing and supplying water increases every year.

Some of the region's water utilities operate under unfavourable conditions, while other essential public utilities operate more favourably. In St. Lucia, the national electricity company is allowed, by statute and law, to charge customers a surcharge to pay the full cost of the company's fuel purchases, according to the prevailing world market price. But not the national water company, which must both absorb the increases in the cost of its own fuel and also pay it's share of the electricity company's fuel bill.

It's a case of being “Damned if you do, damned if you don't”, say water management experts of this situation. But it does not have to be this way, they add.

CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte, who has extensive experience in management and administration of the regional bodies representing both electricity and water utilities, says the unfair competition from bottled water simply has to be addressed by the governments and the utilities.

“It's unfair to the region's water utilities for them to be under such heavy manners, without enough finances and heavily regulated, in a situation where public coffers are dwindling, while our competitors in the private sector can simply erode our customer base with higher prices for the same product,” he says.

According to Mr Poyotte, “Some people argue that the quality of bottled water is better, but what they fail to see is that if the local water utilities are given the means and the funds to operate efficiently, we will produce similar quality that would even be better, considering the contents are purely local.”

Local bottled water production is still very much in its infancy on most of the smaller islands, with bottled water imports being another source of drainage of foreign exchange.

Planners, looking forward, say each of the local water utilities can themselves look in the direction of bottling water under highest quality standards. But they insist that until and unless there are radical changes in the operation, management and regulation of the region's water utilities, they will continue to face the threat of drowning from the rising volume and pressure of bottled water.

?



We only miss the water when…

In the post-Hurricane Tomas period, St. Lucia's Water and Sewage Company (WASCO), under its continuing financial squeeze, sought to recover some of its most outstanding debts, which ran into the millions of dollars.

WASCO embarked on a disconnection drive across the island, targeting mainly outstanding accounts. Some customers had owed for several years but were still getting the service. Others were simply negligent about paying their water bills, while still others engaged in theft through illegal and unauthorized connections.

Within a matter of a few weeks, WASCO was able to recover over $3 million in outstanding payments. Some who had to pay complained about their disconnections, but all soon realized they would remain without water in their pipes at home if they didn't pay up.

WASCO's positive experience in collection of outstanding payments for water bills was a reminder that we tend to only miss the water when the well runs dry.

But in this region, there's enough water to avoid any well ever running dry.

Governments and utilities simply have to plan well and plan ahead, then implement decisions without delay. That done, the results would be as clear as water.



Guyana to spend $1 Billion to improve urban water distribution

The Government of Guyana will spend one billion dollars in 2011 to improve delivery of water to urban communities. This was disclosed by Minister of Housing and Water Irfan Ali, during his message to mark World Water day on March 22.

Mr Ali said the government of Guyana “has confronted the challenges of managing water resources in its urban centres with a view of ensuring quantitatively and qualitatively, the supply of water that matches the continuous increase in demand, as a result of urban growth, expansion and modernization.”

Speaking of the water resource in the 214,999 square-kilometer territory with a total of 18,120 square kilometers of water, he said, “We in Guyana, the custodians of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, must ensure we safeguard and preserve our water resource.”

“Over the past five years we have invested over nine billion (Guyana) dollars to continue the improvement of water delivery in our various urban centres,” he added.

The minister said his government was “committed to the role of ensuring equitable and sustainable management and delivery of water to all its citizens.”

Mr Ali said Guyana had faced deadly water woes during “those miserable days in the late 80s and early 90s” when citizens had to walk miles to fetch water.

“Today, the situation has changed dramatically,” the minister said, “But we must therefore safeguard those gains and ensure we never return to that disastrous period of our water history.”

Guyana twinned its observance of World Water Day 2011 with a seminar in observance of World Metrology Day under the theme “Responding to the Challenges of the Weather and The Role of Water Management.”

ndThe seminar was held March 22 at Regency Suites Hotel in Georgetown.



Tomas taught again that “A stitch in time…”

Hurricane Tomas did a lot to bring the region's water woes to the fore especially in Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where its wrath was felt most. Coming just ahead of the last two months of the year when everyone was already getting ready for a not-so-bright Christmas, Tomas busted dams and overflowed rivers, flooded cities, towns and villages -- and cut the water supply everywhere.

Once again, water was in great demand. And once again, panic prevailed.

National water utilities, already normally stretched, depended largely on a combination of local expertise and external assistance to quickly reconnect water to communities.

Barges arrived in St. Lucia with water utility supplies from the French territories of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Cayenne (French Guiana). Bottled water was donated by sources as far as the USA and close as Trinidad & Tobago and neighbouring Dominica.

Communities were re-connected within a week, even though the quality of water in the taps was understandably of lower-than-usual quality standards.

Fear of water-borne diseases was real and expressed, as citizens lost faith in local utilities and embarked on an expensive bottled water frenzy.

National relief agencies sought to make up for pipe water by freely distributing donated bottled water to needy communities and families across the islands.

The panic reactions were real. Water tanks sold like hot bread. Bottled water didn't stay on supermarket shelves. But from all the panic also came real lessons for all.

The importance of conserving water and ensuring we have adequate supplies at home in case of emergency was underlined. We also saw that the importance of a water tank is only realized when the pipe runs dry.

The importance of constantly monitoring dams and water conservancies to ensure adequate levels and address deficiencies came into focus after major dams quickly went under.

The need for proper pricing policies was realized with the astronomical and fluctuating increase in the prices of bottled water and water tanks, as well as the cost of transporting water.

The need to always allow relief and emergency agencies to carry out their mandate to ensure equitable distribution of supplies was also underlined, with isolated communities complaining of neglect and citizens accusing politicians of favouritism.



The speed with which dams and conservancies became clogged or were rendered ineffective underlined the need for regular servicing and monitoring of all aspects of operations.

But the biggest lesson learned is the need for early and accurate assessments of damage to water utilities after a disaster like Tomas. With water being an essential service in a region so prone to disasters, Caribbean governments and utilities need to always consider having or having access to emergency funds to restore water supply. As the post-Tomas period also shows, repair and restoration of water services after disasters must always be implemented with the speed and efficiency that will allow them to be in place ahead of the next annual hurricane season or unexpected disaster.

In effect, in addition to everything else, Tomas taught utilities and consumers alike the importance to always make “a stitch in time, to save nine…”


cawasa newsletter 1st quarter 2011

Business