Regional Policy Briefing no.7

Water Resources Management in the CaribbeanProtecting fresh and coastal waters and building climate resilience

Christopher Cox PhDProgramme DirectorCaribbean Environmental Health Institute23rd April 2012Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius

Presentation outline

Background

Climate change and water resources challenges

Response toward building resilience

• The IWRM approach

• Initiatives

• Lessons learnt

• Partnerships

About CEHI CEHI was established by

the Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 1989 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 Located in St. Lucia

Status of freshwater 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

Jamaica

Bahamas

Antigua &Barbuda

Barbados

Status of freshwater resources Uneven rainfall distribution,

periodic drought conditions; Infrastructure – high

vulnerability to hurricane / flood damage

Poor and aging water distribution and sanitary system networks

Land-based pollution - poor solid and liquid waste management & unsustainable land management

Force to look at alternatives – desalination; rainwater; recycling

Fresh and coastal waters degradation Pollution - greatest threat to natural

environment; impacts long-term socio-economic development

Fresh and coastal waters – receiving environments for pollution.

Primary pollution sources • Point sources (industries, sewage

treatment plants, marine vessels); • Urban non-point runoff (stormwater

runoff and combined overflow discharges);

• Non-urban non-point runoff (farms, livestock pastures);

• Irrigation return flows (irrigation water return to a lake, stream or canal)

Climate Change and water CC will force additional stresses Caribbean climate modeling predictions:

• changes in patterns of rainfall accumulation and distribution

• overall trend to less annual rainfall – 25 to 30% reduction

• more extreme events

Serious implications for water security• reduced aquifer recharge rates

• sea-level rise; saline intrusion

• storm damage to infrastructure and contamination: landslides, floods

Health impacts• Vector proliferation

Water governance issues Institutional and regulatory frameworks not ideal

• no unified WRM policy

• absence of national “apex” bodies

• Inadequate national water laws

• Multiple agencies - fragmentation

• Inadequate data

WR management - typically within realm of water utility operations by statutory authority - dual, conflictive roles

Water not valued as an economic good • Low level of priority; Cost recovery challenges

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach Process of sustainable development, allocation

and monitoring of water resource use in the context of social, economic and environmental objectives

IWRM in SIDS must consider both domains of freshwater and coastal waters• Other ways of saying; in context of the spatial

dimension:• Ridge to Reef (R2R)• Integrating Watershed and Coastal Areas management

(IWCAM)• White water to Blue Water (WR2BR)

IWRM provides unified management for water services provision and waste water management

• Waste waters are typically discharge to sea with coastal resource user conflicts

Work supported under GEF-IWCAM Project

Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution (LBS) Protocol Cartagena Convention (1986) – protection of

Caribbean Sea LBS Protocol - General Obligations

• National Planning e.g. EIAs

• Integrated Coastal Zone & Watershed Management

• Environmental Monitoring & Assessment

Specific Obligations for Major Pollutants• Effluent & Emissions limitations, Time Tables for

implementation, & Classification of Recreational Waters

• Best Management Practices

• Most Appropriate Technologies

Embodied within the National Plan of Action (NPA)

Progress - National actions National water policies, strategies developed – highlight climate

change as a key driver• Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia have policy statements• Jamaica advanced toward development of IWRM Plan• Trinidad & Tobago WR master planning process underway

Community mobilization in WRM• Water conservation

Application of new technologies; water augmentation• Ground water exploration in Tobago, St. Lucia• Rainwater harvesting – many countries

Land zoning for water supply protection• Barbados – 5 zones based on sensitivity; longstanding policy

Water supply and sanitation• Rural infrastructure expansion – all countries; variable progress

SUPPORTED BY VARIOUS REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES – PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

Challenges…lessons being learned Selling IWRM; concept is vague to most - Climate change provides

a good entry point• Perceived to be rather academic; tangibles not readily apparent• IWRM remains in realm of water and natural resource professionals

One size does not fit all• Varying circumstances between countries

• Geography (water regime), demographics, biodiversity

How does it fit in day-to-day?• How does it affect a business bottom-line, what does it matter to

communities? What are the costs to implement?

• Current national circumstances; can we afford dedicated resources?• Resource constraints – limits implementation

Water-land management• Land management and administration creates dysfunction re: resource

supply side

MOVING FORWARD…• Development of national IWRM Plans

Partners in water

Caribbean Environmental Health Institute The Morne, PO Box 1111, Castries, St. LuciaTel: 758 452-2501; Fax: 758 453-2721E-mail: cehi@candw.lc

Caribbean Environmental Health Institute The Morne, PO Box 1111, Castries, St. LuciaTel: 758 452-2501; Fax: 758 453-2721E-mail: cehi@candw.lc

For more resources and information see our website at

www.cehi.org.lc

For more resources and information see our website at

www.cehi.org.lc