Federation Celebrates World Water Day
Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 22, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom)–St. Kitts and Nevis joined the rest of the world on Wednesday to commemorate World Water Day.
During an address to mark the occasion, Minister of Utilities, Hon. Konris Maynard stated that it is a time to “pause, reflect and focus our attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of our freshwater resources.”
The theme guiding the celebration this year is “Accelerating Change”.
Minister Maynard spoke of the need for change as the Federation has seen a significant decrease in rainfall that could’ve been used as potable water.
“The experts at the Water Services Department has indicated that over the past ten (10) years we have seen about an 18% decrease in the average annual rainfall. This is serious. While we cannot predict the future, we have to be prepared for various scenarios including, longer dry periods and shorter, more intense wet seasons. The bottom line is that as the climate changes, our availability of freshwater will change and hence we have to adapt. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is taking our responsibility of providing a reliable supply of water seriously. This means that we have to change how we ‘have been doing water in the past.”
Minister Maynard went on to outline all the major investments the Government will be undertaking to improve the water infrastructure of the country.
“We are going to invest over $200 million over the next 5 to 10 years to build a resilient and sustainable water infrastructure. Water is too important for us to get it wrong. As I often say, because of our small size, it is easier for us to transform our sectors than other larger countries. Some of the investments in our water Infrastructure will include of course: drilling of additional wells, investment in desalinated water, replacement and upgrading of pipelines, construction of new and expansion of existing storage reservoirs, the introduction of modern technology to improve efficiency and to optimize the use of our resources. Of course, we will also invest in our people and ensure that the institutional capacity and structure of the Water Services Department is also modernized.”
He stated that “the transformation of the nation’s water sector and ensuring the sustainability of our water resources is not just up to the government; the reliability of our water supply also depends on how we use it.”