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Dr. Christopher Cox Programme Director Caribbean Environmental Health Institute St. Lucia

Workshops of the Americas Targets and Solutions Groups on the road to the 6 th World Water Forum Mexico City, Mexico September 7 – 8 th 2011 Theme: Efficiency in Water and Sanitation – the Caribbean Perspective. Dr. Christopher Cox Programme Director Caribbean Environmental Health Institute

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Dr. Christopher Cox Programme Director Caribbean Environmental Health Institute St. Lucia

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  1. Workshops of the Americas Targets and Solutions Groupson the road to the6th World Water ForumMexico City, MexicoSeptember 7 – 8th 2011Theme: Efficiency in Water and Sanitation – the Caribbean Perspective Dr. Christopher Cox Programme Director Caribbean Environmental Health Institute St. Lucia

  2. Presentation outline • About the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute • About the Caribbean • Status of water resources and challenges • Water service efficiency issues • Focus on water safety planning • Sanitation service issues • Focus on wastewater management • Financing wastewater management

  3. About the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) • CEHI was established by the Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the late 1980’s to respond to the Environmental Health and Management concerns of its Member States. Through CARICOM Protocols it is an Institution of the Community • Has 16 Member States including all OECS countries

  4. CEHI mandate • Located in St. Lucia • CEHI work derived from the following mandates: • Agreement Establishing CEHI: Environmental Management focusing on Environmental Health; • Caribbean Cooperation in Health - Lead Agency for EH priority: Water (water resources and WQ Management), Solid and Liquid Waste & Excreta Disposal and Workers' Health. • The Barbados SIDS/POA (1994) by Ministers of Environment for Water and Waste Management

  5. About the Caribbean • Type/geography: (coral, volcanic, continental) • Size: 10,831 km2 (Jamaica) - 102 km2 (Montserrat) • Demographics: • Total pop. can vary from 42,000 (St. Kitts/Nevis) –2,627,000 (Jamaica) • Urban pop. can vary from 34% (St. Kitts) – 89% (Bahamas) • Pop. under 14 can span 20% (Barbados) – 37% (St. Vincent)

  6. Biophysical aspects • Variable topography & geographical characteristics • Lesser Antilles - volcanic arc • Greater Antilles – mixed origin • Tropical marine climates - little temperature variation throughout the year. • Individual climatic conditions strongly dependent on elevation. • Rainfall is variable from country to country; rainfall variation within countries • Maximum annual – between 3,000 to 7,000 mm in interior areas; minimum annual 1,000 to 1,500 mm • Water availability is influenced by the topography; bulk of rainfall during June to December – hurricane season Dominica annual rainfall distribution

  7. Socio-Economic aspects • Open and vulnerable economies, • Limited diversity in production, • Exports concentrated on a few products, • Thin markets, and high transportation costs • Transformation away from agriculture – light manufacturing and tourism

  8. Bahamas Antigua & Barbuda Jamaica Barbados Status of water resources • Water supply • Surface (rivers, springs, ponds) – dominant overall • Groundwater – drier islands/karstic environments • Desalination - drier, more populous islands • Rainwater harvesting – micro-islands; isolated communities • Internal Renewable Water Resources (IRWR) (source: FAO) • Antigua & Barbuda – 800 m3/capita/yr • Bahamas - 66 m3/capita/yr • Barbados – 301 m3/capita/yr • Jamaica – 3,651 m3/capita/yr • Main demand sectors: • Tourism • Agriculture • Industry • Residential • Hydroelectricity

  9. Water resources management challenges • Uneven rainfall distribution, periodic drought conditions; • Vulnerability to hurricane / flood damage • Poor and aging water distribution and sanitary system networks • Undercapitalization – limited cost recovery; • Land-based pollution - poor solid and liquid waste management & unsustainable land management • associated with localized high population densities/rapid urbanisation; land degradation • Improper utilization of agro-chemicals

  10. Water resources management challenges • Institutional and regulatory frameworks not ideal • General absence of national “apex” bodies - core mandate for comprehensive management of water resources; • Inadequate national water laws to protect and preserve the resources; • Multiple agencies for management of water resources; fragmentation • Water not valued as an economic good • Low level of priority; only regarded during times of emergency • Inadequate data to make informed decisions

  11. Water service efficiency issues • Access to water exceeds 90% in most Caribbean states (exception – Haiti); generally meet or close to national targets for service coverage • Municipal systems piped to households • Communal standpipes • Key issues related to efficiencies: • Variable achievement of potable WQ standards (WHO guideline commonly used) • Spatially and temporally • Of concern – drought and extreme weather events associated with hurricanes • High unaccounted for water – range between 30 to 50% • Aged infrastructure • Illegal connections • Financial resource constraints

  12. Water service efficiency issues • Lack of optimisation at water treatment plants • High electricity costs • inadequate process control and treatment • No intermediate storage • Lack of consistent operator training • Inconsistent testing (due to lack of availability of testing facilities and other logistics) • Lack of co-ordination amongst agencies • Inadequate cost recovery

  13. Water Safety Planning • Addressing improving efficiencies in realizing quality standards • Developed by the World Health Organization & covered in Chapter 4 of the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality (3rd Ed.) • A WSP is a comprehensive approach to assure drinking water safety that identifies hazards, assesses, monitors, and manages risks inherent in a water delivery system (drinking water supply chain) from ‘catchment to consumer.’

  14. Holistic WSP approach – all stakeholders involved from management of source water to management within the household Traditional scope of water utility responsibility in service delivery Extraction catchment Storage Disinfection Distribution Household Meter Meter

  15. Water Safety PlanningWork in Caribbean • CEHI collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Caribbean • Jamaica - Spanish Town • Large peri-urban community • National Water Commission; Ministry of Health; Water Resources Agency • Guyana – Linden • Moderate-sized urban community • Guyana Water Inc.; Ministry of Health; Environmental Protection Agency • St. Lucia – Mabouya Valley and Dennery village • Small rural communities • Water and Sewerage Company; Ministry of Health

  16. Typical Hazards • Typical hazards related to treatment: • Poor quality of source water • Insufficient chlorination practices • Equipment failures; Inconsistent and expensive power supply • Operators do not consistently record finished water quality • Lack of timely ordering and/delays in delivery of chemicals for water treatment and laboratory testing • Lack of reliable and consistent sampling methods between agencies • No system in place for reporting WQ surveillance results from agencies • Typical hazards related to distribution: • Leaks in distribution network • Lack of routine monitoring of chlorine residual in distribution system • Lack of consistent surveillance monitoring in distribution system • Typical hazards related to the household: • Inadequate cost recovery • Unsafe household treatment and storage practices • Contamination of surface and ground waters through use of unsafe pit latrines

  17. Water Safety Plans - Key benefits derived • Built capacity in water utilities to assess hazards using WSP framework • Improved communication and collaboration between key stakeholder groups • Improvement in stakeholders understanding of water system and their role in protecting water quality • Changes in standard operating procedures • Infrastructural improvements • Operator training • Changes in land use/activities in catchment areas

  18. Sanitation services • Generally, improved sanitation is available in most communities; exceptions – very rural communities; significant challenges n Haiti • Septic tank and soak-away/leachfields • Most common for domestic application • Pit latrines • Formerly common prior to municipal water supply; still used in lower income communities • Centralized municipal wastewater systems • Mainly in major urban centres – challenges of treatment; often primary treatment or near raw discharge • Small-scale dedicated WW treatment systems • Hotels and industrial plants

  19. Sanitation and wastewater discharge issuesPollution of Caribbean Sea • 85% of wastewater untreated • 51.5% of households lack connections – central systems • 17% connected to acceptable connections • < 2% of urban sewage treated before disposal • Outfalls often located close to shore; sewage plants poorly functioning • Significant public risk and environmental degradation • Greywater discharge is major concern • Environmental impacts - eutrophication

  20. Fall out…. • Long-term diminished economic benefits; reduced market value; loss of competitive advantage • Dive sites • Beaches; hotel development • Fisheries • Implications for local and national economy • High relevance in consideration of global economy and climate change threats

  21. Sanitation service efficiency issues • Undercapitalization of municipal systems • Limited maintenance • Lack of upgrades to more advanced treatment • Discontinuous operator training and limited skills upgrade • Limited land space on small islands to accommodate WW plants and ancillary infrastructure • Challenges in installation/expansion of sewer works • Prohibitive costs to route infrastructure through developed areas

  22. Towards improved sanitation • Implementation of municipal wastewater management projects • New facilities commissioned in major urban centres – Jamaica; Barbados • Studies being conducted in other countries; St. Luca; Dominica • Development of National Plans of Action (NPA) for effluent control to protect the coastal and marine ecosystems – based on the UNEP Global Framework • Design best integrated watershed and coastal areas management practices for reduction of land-based pollution • Monitor the water quality and pollution loads from rivers and non-point sources of pollution • Implement public education and awareness programmes to sensitize populations

  23. Towards improved sanitation • Comprehensive legislation for the prevention, reduction and control of marine pollution • Consideration of financial and regulatory mechanisms • government investments; • international financial and technical assistance; • service and pollution taxes; • effective enforcement of laws and regulations; • strengthening of institutional capacities of relevant agencies

  24. Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater ManagementGEF – UNEP/IDB • Improve the capacity of countries in wastewater management; • Development of a prototype Regional Revolving Fund • Possible modality for providing sustainable financing for wastewater management projects in the region while also • Addressing key capacity constraints within existing legal, institutional, educational and policy frameworks for wastewater management

  25. Thank You…Questions Caribbean Environmental Health Institute P.O. Box 1111, The Morne Castries, St. Lucia Tel: 758 452-2501 Fax: 758 453-2721 E-mail: cehi@candw.lc Web: www.cehi.org.lc

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