Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali says the Caribbean needs to consider programmes that teach water sustainability and management to its youth in order to secure its future.
He was speaking recently at the opening session of a three-day ‘Training of trainers’ workshop for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM).
The workshop is a collaborative effort of the Cap-Net (an international network for capacity building in IWRM, Global Water Partnership Caribbean, UNDP and the European Union. According to a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) representatives from Namibia, St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname joined local participants at a meeting hosted at the Caricom Secretariat on Wednesday. The workshop aims to train and equip persons in the Caribbean with the tools and knowledge to deal with water conflict issues.
Ali told participants that according to world water development reports only 0.4 per cent of the total global water is available for humans and two million tonnes of human waste per day are deposited in water courses. He also said 90% of all natural disasters in the 1990s were water related and the increase in the world population from six billion to nine billion is the main driver for managing water resources for the next 50 years.
The minister told the group that one of the primary objectives of the Caribbean Water Net (a regional branch of Global Network) is engaging in research and translating the results of research into tangible output. He cited this as a vital component if the Caribbean is to plot the way forward for its development. Ali said the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is exploring the possibilities of setting up a surface water treatment plant and it is discussing starting a study for aquifers.
“We cannot tell you what the levels are or how sustainable it is but we are exploring more ground water sources; this can pose challenges in the future if we do not have the necessary information that would guide the policy,” the minister said. He also added that Caribbean countries need to educate their populations about water sustainability. “We cannot develop policies or integrated management framework without consulting the people at the grass root,” he said.
According to GINA Ali also noted that Guyana has several challenges in meeting consumer water demand and government has been addressing this issue. He said the pillars of water resource management namely economic efficiency, equity and environment sustainability present their own challenges and emphasized the magnitude of integrated approach in managing water.
Meanwhile acting CEO of GWI, Yuri Chandisingh said the Caribbean Water Net initiative is timely as it focuses on the need for sister states to prepare to collectively confront the challenges associated with national development while preserving water resources. He said mankind’s survival is more than likely dependent on whether countries can effectively manage their water supply both above and below ground.
Chandisingh said GWI firmly believes that the awareness and sensitization process leading to a water-secure Region begins with youth since they must be taught the importance of conservation and prudent usage patterns.
