- Agreement between government of Barbados and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) for US$700,000
By BGIS
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – The signing of a grant agreement between the government and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) for US$700,000 will support the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) with the reduction of non-revenue water wastage.
The grant will also assist in strengthening the BWA’s infrastructure for increased water security across Barbados.
At a signing ceremony at the BWA’s headquarters last Friday, CAF’s regional manager for the Caribbean, Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy, disclosed that the grant was a continuation of the work between CAF and the Government to enhance water security.
Dr Richards-Kennedy said:
“We have a previous loan with the BWA for US$10 million, and we have been doing a lot of work in this area. We also recently hosted a regional water security conference here in Barbados, where we brought together the heads of the agencies for water and sanitation from across all CARICOM countries …. “And so, CAF is pleased to put grant resources behind this effort and to ensure that we now go to the next step and accompany the BWA and the Government and people of Barbados with designs for improving the infrastructure and ensuring that we go to the second phase of funding.”
Speaking at the signing ceremony, prime minister Mia Amor Mottley thanked CAF for its support and pointed out that the bank had prepared a technical study for the BWA, which recommends making a change from how this country approaches the management of the network system and its structure.
Mottley said:
“Our relationship with you extends not only to your lending, but to your providing grant resources. [It] is a major, major difference in the way in which … your bank has related to the government of Barbados …. “And for example, there have been other grants that have been used. When people talk about consultant advisors, very often a lot of what we have benefited from has been funded, not by the taxpayers of Barbados alone, but in this particular instance, CAF has also been there for us with the ability to provide the grant funding for technical resources to benefit the country.”
The prime minister also highlighted the BWA’s issue with non-revenue water:
“For every gallon that you pump, if you lose water because of a leak or…whatever reason, it means that you are pumping, but you’re not earning for that water because it’s being lost into the ground. And we have, over…the last year, placed specific emphasis on putting the district meter network in place…to benefit from the data that is necessary that will guide…the actions of the Water Authority with respect to where they have to fix, to be able to reduce it.”
Noting the severity of the problem, Mottley disclosed that at Vineyard, St Philip, for every 100 gallons of water pumped, 42 gallons were being lost, therefore, no money was being earned on that water.
Prime Minister Mottley added:
“This is as a result of an aged infrastructure, predominantly, and that is why … if we don’t get our non-revenue water down, it means that we’re carrying costs for which we can’t earn back money. And that is why this is a critical project to be started, but equally to be completed.”
CAF, which was created in 1970, supports the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and seeks to improve the quality of life for the people in the region. Its actions promote sustainable development and regional integration. It serves the public and private sectors in 23 member countries.
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