CAWASA E-source Newsletter Issue 4 - October - December 2012

October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4Caribbean Water and Sewage Association Inc.
The Atlantic Basin also experienced an above-average hurricane season for a third consecutive year
with a total of 19 storms, with 10 reaching hurricane status, the most notable being Sandy,
which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and the US East Coast.

Temperatures in 2012 were the
ninth highest on record since 1850,
despite the effect of La Niña, a me-
teorological phenomenon that is
supposed to have a cooling influ-
ence on the Earth’s atmosphere,
says a new United Nations report
released on Wednesday.
High temperatures were ac-
companied by unprecedented
melting of the Arctic sea ice and
multiple weather and climate ex-
tremes which affected many parts
of the world.
The findings are among the
highlights of the provisional UN
World Meteorological Organi-
zation (WMO) statement on the
state of the global climate, which
provides an annual snapshot
of weather and climate events
around the world.
The report, which is based on
three global temperature sets, was
released at the last UN Climate
Change Conference in Doha, Qa-
tar, where thousands of represen-
tatives from governments, inter-
national organizations and civil
society are meeting to advance
ways to cut global carbon emis-
sions and pollution.
“Naturally occurring climate
variability due to phenomena
such as El Niño and La Niña
impact on temperatures and
precipitation on a seasonal to
annual scale, but they do not
alter the underlying long-term
trend of rising temperatures
due to climate change as a
result of human activities,”
said WMO secretary-gener-
al Michel Jarraud.
“The extent of Arctic sea
ice reached a new record
low. The alarming rate of its
melt this year highlighted the
far-reaching changes taking
place on Earth’s oceans and
biosphere. Climate change is
taking place before our eyes
and will continue to do so as
a result of the concentrations
of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, which have
risen constantly and again
reached new records,”
he added.
Notable extreme
events were
observed world-
wide during
the period of
January–October 2012,
the report stated, includ-
ing heat waves in North
America and Europe, drought
in the United States, China, Brazil
and parts of Russia and Eastern Eu-
rope, floods in the Sahel region, Pakistan
and China, and snow and extreme cold in
Russia and Eastern Europe.
The Atlantic basin also experienced an above-
average hurricane season for a third consecutive
year with a total of 19 storms, with 10 reaching
hurricane status, the most notable being Sandy,
which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and
the US east coast.
East Asia was severely impacted by powerful
typhoons, the biggest one being Sanba, which im-
pacted the Philippines, Japan, and the Korean
Peninsula, affecting thousands of people
and causing millions of dollars in
damage.
In March 2013, WMO
will publish final up-
dates and figures for
2012 in its annual state-
ment on the status of
the global climate.
2012 Was Among Hottest Years On Record!
What does this mean for Caribbean water in 2013?
—In This Issue—
The Green Economy Page 2
Secretariat News Page 3
St. Lucia Water Rates Fact Sheet Page 5
CAWASA 2012 AGM Pages 6 and 7
Water in China Page 9
Minister says world can tap into China’s
water management Page 11
Successful Wastewater Treatment Plants Workshop Back Page

e-SourcePage 2 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4
CAWASA Inc. concluded another successful
year in 2012, during which affiliates and the col-
lective entity navigated stormy seas and sailed
calm waters – meeting challenges while taking
care of members’ business, whatever the climate,
however it changed.
The last year (2011-2012) saw CAWASA add
two potential Associate Members to our member-
ship list: Cole Engineering and the Virgin Islands
Waste Management Authority (VIWMA) both
applied for membership, which applications [are
being/were given] positive consideration.
Three training activities were hosted during
2012: One for “Human Resource Training” for
30 Non-Human Resource Managers took place
in Grenada September 13 and 14, 2011 led by the
CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte. An-
other followed – also in Grenada – for 16 partici-
pants in “Procurement and Inventory Manage-
ment”, this time from October 20 to 21, 2011, led
by Denis Lorde. The third training activity was a
“Management Change” workshop held in Anti-
gua June 18 to 19, 2012 for 30 participants, led by
the CAWASA Executive Director.
During the year under review, Executive Di-
rector Poyotte also represented CAWASA at the
20th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Water
and Wastewater Association (CWWA) held in
Guadeloupe from October 2 to 7, 2011. That con-
ference coincided with the island’s 10th annual
celebration of “The Water Days”.
Programme Officer Suzanne Joseph also repre-
sented CAWASA at the 25th Annual Conference
of the Association of the Board of Certification
(ABC) held in TAMPA, Florida from January
17 to 21, 2012. During the meeting she made a
presentation on the topic “Overcoming Operator
Certificate Renewal Challenges in a Caribbean
Multi-island Environment”.
In the area of Operator/Analyst Certification,
nine persons sat the certification exams in “Water
and Wastewater” on November 25, 2011 studying
“Water Distribution, Water Laboratory, Waste-
water Treatment and Wastewater Collection”.
Another ten persons successfully sat another
similar exam on June 25, 2012 covering similar
subjects. A third exam – this one specifically for
“Wastewater Treatment” -- was held in Trinidad
for 18 persons on March 25, 2012, while another
12 persons also sat a similar exam in July 2012.
During the Financial Year just ended (2011-
2012), some 38 Operators/Analysts renewed
their certificates, while 21 renewed theirs by the
end of June 2012.
The Small Scale Financing facility with UNEP
continued throughout 2012, involving a baseline
study and LBS Protocol, with CAWASA also
working on a related technical exchange pro-
gram.
CAWASA also in 2012 continued its work on
presentation of a common Model Sector.
The year ended with the successful staging
in St. Lucia of three major regional CAWASA
events: an Operational Assessment Workshop
took place December 3 and 4, 2012; CAWASA’s
2012 Annual General Meeting was held on De-
cember 4, 2012; and CAWASA’s Stakeholders
Conference took place on December 5, 2012. (All
three events are fully covered in this the final is-
sue of e-Source for 2012).
The CAWASA Secretariat is also pleased to
have concluded another year of successfully
meeting the needs and promoting the interests of
our affiliates at home, in the region and beyond
-- and we surely look forward to continuing to
serve all the best we can in 2013.
Victor Poyotte
Executive Director
From the Desk of the
Executive Director
CAWASA
concludes
another
successful year
Effective management of wastewater in the Wider
Caribbean Region (WCR) has for several decades
been, and remains, a significant challenge faced by the
region.
Regional governments have long recognized that
land-based sources of pollution from municipal, in-
dustrial and agricultural sectors and their negative
impacts on marine resources are a threat to the re-
gion’s economic development and the quality of life
of its people.
Recent studies have shown that untreated sewage
is one of the major threats to public health and the
Region’s rich biodiversity and is the result of rapidly
expanding urban populations, poorly planned devel-
opment, and inadequate or poorly designed and mal-
functioning sewage treatment facilities. As a result:
• 85% of wastewater entering the Caribbean Sea re-
mains untreated
• 51.5% of households lack sewer connections
• Only 17% of households are connected to accept-
able collection and treatment systems.
With respect to biodiversity, the study found that
sewage was one of the main factors that had caused
approximately 80% of living coral in the Caribbean to
be lost over the past twenty years.
The high rates of pollution also negatively impact
the fishing industry and the tourism sectors. In evalu-
ating the underlying reasons for this persistent prob-
lem, studies have shown that there are three significant
challenges: inadequate policy and legal framework,
insufficient financing and the low priority placed on
waste water treatment.
The WCR suffers from a dearth of integrated stra-
tegic policy instruments and supporting laws and
regulations to effectively and sustainably manage the
wastewater sector.
The CReW project is intended to support the WCR
in addressing these three main challenges.What af-
fects development of wastewater infrastructure in the
Caribbean region?
• Low priority given to the development of the waste-
water sector
• Capacity constraints of many utilities and other ser-
vice providers
• A lack of sufficient and stable long-term funding for
utilities
• Inadequate and poorly enforced policies and laws
• Poor communication and collaboration amongst in-
volved agencies
• Limited awareness, knowledge and understanding of
alternative and appropriate treatment technologies; and
• Limitations in technical capacity for environmental
management.
In 1999, acknowledging that sewage is the number
one point source of marine pollution in the region,
Governments of the Wider Caribbean Region signaled
their commitment to reduce marine pollution from
untreated wastewater by agreeing to the Protocol on
the Control of Land Based Sources of Marine Pollu-
tion (LBS Protocol).
The LBS Protocol forms part of the only legally bind-
ing regional agreement for the protection and devel-
opment of the Caribbean Sea - the Cartagena Conven-
tion.
Its entry into force in 2010 committed the Govern-
ments which ratified or acceded to making major
improvements in wastewater management by in-
troducing innovative and cost effective treatment
technologies, improving policy, regulatory and insti-
tutional frameworks, and expanding access to afford-
able financing. (Source: CReW)
Wastewater Management in
the Wider Caribbean Region
‘Green Economy’ is essentially a form of develop-
ment that addresses, in a holistic way, the many eco-
nomic and environmental challenges confronting us
today.
In a green economy, growth in income and employ-
ment are driven by public and private investments
that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance
energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of
biodiversity and ecosystem services.
A May 2009 report entitled "Assessment of Waste-
water Management in the Caribbean" found untreat-
ed domestic wastewater had severe economic conse-
quences for coastal ecosystems in the Wider Caribbean
Region. This created many problems, including: In-
creased fish mortality and negative effects on com-
mercial fisheries; Declines in coral reeds estimated to
cost the region up to US$ 870 million by 2050; Threats
to human health due to elevation of pathogenic micro-
organisms; and Threats to the tourism sector.
In her presentation to the 6th Biennial Caribbean
Environmental Forum 6 in Saint Kitts & Nevis in May
2012, CReW's Project Coordinator, Denise Forrest,
looked at the links between wastewater management
(WWM) and the Green Economy.
She raised the following points for consideration:
Current dialogue on green economy places no empha-
sis upon wastewater management; the focus tends to
be more on water and sanitation; Wastewater is a re-
source that has a value although that value needs to be
properly determined; Treatment restores the value of
wastewater which is a commodity; and Lack of treat-
ment negatively impacts key economic sectors such
as fisheries, health, shoreline protection (due to reef
destruction), tourism and biodiversity.
She pointed out that many countries in the WCR
are affected by severe water scarcity. This has a direct
impact upon sustainable development. Water stress
is projected to increase with water supply satisfying
only 60% of world demand in 20 years. Food secu-
rity is also dependent upon water availability. Water
recovery and integrated water management could
therefore become a decisive factor in reshaping na-
tional and regional food security policies.
How can Wastewater Management be linked to
Green Economy?
Ms. Forrest asserted that more overtly inserting
WWM into the green economy dialogue would have
social, economic and environmental benefits.
It would constitute a paradigm shift in thinking and
practice which could, among other things: Reduce the
volume and extent of water pollution through preven-
tative practices; Treat polluted water using appropriate
technologies and techniques for return to the environ-
ment; Where feasible, safely reuse and recycle waste-
water thereby conserving water and nutrients; and
Provide a platform for the development of new and in-
novative technologies and management practices.
She said “specific enabling conditions” would be a
policy framework that views wastewater as a resource,
supporting national regulations, economic incentives,
the development of markets, and technical assistance.
(Source: CReW)
The Green Economy:
Does it include Wastewater?
In her presentation to the 6th Biennial
Caribbean Environmental Forum 6 in Saint
Kitts & Nevis in May 2012, CReW's Project
Coordinator, Denise Forrest, looked at the
links between Wastewater Management
(WWM) and the Green Economy.

e-Source Page 3October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4
CAWASA Secretariat News
CAWASA’s 15th Annual General Meeting retained leadership The Wider Caribbean Region
stretches from the Bahamas in the
North to Trinidad and Tobago in
the South. Barbados to the East and
all the islands in between; also the
Caribbean coasts and watersheds
of South and Central America.
The Caribbean Sea that links us
all is threatened by pollution that
originates on land. This pollution
threatens the livelihood of mil-
lions: from village-based fisher
folk to multi-national hotel chain
owners.
Creatures which inhabit streams,
rivers, estuaries, mangroves, sea
grass beds, coral reefs, and open
ocean areas are in danger.
This pollution erodes the basis
for the survival of entire human
communities: fisheries, tourist at-
tractions and valuable food sup-
plies. Income generation opportu-
nities could be lost forever. (Source:
UNEP-CAP)
The Convention for the Protec-
tion and Development of the Ma-
rine Environment of the Wider
Caribbean Region (Cartagena Con-
vention) of 1983 outlines the threats
to the continued development of
the Caribbean Sea and what we
can do to help protect it.
Its first protocol deals with Oil
Spills; its second protocol is de-
signed to conserve Specially Pro-
tected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW)
and most recently, the LBS Proto-
col addresses the problem of Land
Bases Sources of Marine Pollution.
This Protocol identifies the ma-
jor sources of land-based pollu-
tion and offers ways for decreasing
their negative impacts on the coast-
al and marine environment.
If all countries of the Wider Ca-
ribbean Region formally ratify/
accede and meet the obligations
of the LBS protocol, the fate of our
Caribbean Sea—and out lives, can
be changed from a dismal future to
hope for sustainable development
of the people.
There’s HELP!
Our THREATENED
Caribbean
The CAWASA membership, gathered at its 15th Annuual General meeting in St. Lucia, was satisfied with the
leadership offered by the current executive of the regional organization and retained the same Executive Officers for
2012-2013, as follows:
Bernard Ettinoffe:
President
Christopher husbands:
Vice President
Ivan Rodrigues:
Secretary
John Joseph:
Treasurer
Fifty-nine (59) water operators from
four CAWASA member-utilities and
one non-member utility, in five Carib-
bean territories, sat the Certification
ExaminationsinNovember2012,inwhich
a 39% pass-rate was recorded. Participat-
ing utilities iincluded:(Member Utilities)
Antigua -- 21 operators; Dominica-- 1 op-
erator; St Lucia -- 11 operators; and St
Vincent -- 9 operators. Non-member
utility Trinidad & Tobago also partici-
pated with 17 operators.
59 sat Water Operator Certification
Examinations in November
The Caribbean Water & Sewerage
Association Inc. (CAWASA) has been
invited to participate in the 5th Steering
Committee (SC) Meeting of the Global
Water Operators’ Partnerships Alli-
ance (GWOPA) on 28th February to 1st
March 2013, in Paris.
The meeting in the French capital
will be hosted by Syndicat Interdé-
partemental pour l'Assainissement de
l'Agglomération Parisienne (SIAAP), a
member of the GWOPA Steering Com-
mittee, at their Paris headquarters.
CAWASA is already a member or-
ganization of the GWOPA Steering
Committee.
The first day of the Paris meeting
(February 28th) will feature presenta-
tions by the GWOPA Secretariat, to be
followed by discussions.
The SC meeting will also include
Regional/National Platform Updates
from regions to be represented (Af-
rica, Asia, Latin America and the Ca-
ribbean, the Pacific, Southeast Europe,
Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan) and these
presentations will also be followed by
discussion.
Partners Perspectives and Updates
will also be given at the meeting by
participating institutions and organi-
zations (ADB, AFD, AfDB, IDB, CSOs,
USAID, OFID, IWA, Private Operators,
Unions) followed by discussion.
The meeting will feature pre-
sentation, discussion and adop-
tion of GWOPA’s 5-Year Strategy
(2013-2017) to be adopted by the SC
members.
A meeting of the GWOP’s Integrity
Sub-committee will also take place on
the first day. On the second day, Fri-
day, March 1st 2013, participants will
engage in presentation, discussion and
adoption of GWOPA’s Work Plan for
2013, also to be adopted by the gath-
ered SC members.
Discussion will also be held on roles
and contributions of SC members/GWO-
PA partners to GWOPA’s activities.
The Paris meeting will also feature
presentation of new initiatives, includ-
ing: UN-Water Task Force on Capac-
ity Development for Water Operators
(GWOPA); Development of Capac-
ity Development Materials (UNESCO-
IHE); and Review of WOPs profiles
(McGill University). There will also
be a special presentation by the host,
SIAAP, of their international activities.
CAWASA invited to 5th GWOPA Steering
Committee Meeting in Paris
A Small Scale Funding Agree-
ment (SSFA) was signed between
the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), an interna-
tional intergovernmental organi-
zation established by the General
Assembly of the United Nations
and represented by its Regional
Coordinating Unit of the Caribbe-
an Environment Programme (CEP)
of the United Nations Environ-
ment Programme (UNEP) based
in Jamaica and the Caribbean Wa-
ter and Sewerage Association Inc (
CAWASA), one of the key region-
al stakeholders for the Global En-
vironment Facility (GEF)-funded
project “Testing a Prototype Ca-
ribbean Regional Fund for Waste-
water Management in the Wider
Caribbean”.
This was concluded as part of
the GEF-funded regional project
entitled “Testing a Prototype Carib-
bean Regional Fund for Wastewater
Management (CReW)”.
In particular, it addresses the UN-
EP-CAR/RCU Assessment and Man-
agement of Environmental Pollution
sub-programme (AMEP) of the UN-
EP-CAR/RCU.
The AMEP sub-programme focuses
on measures to prevent, reduce and
control marine pollution and to assist
countries in the implementation of the
Protocol Concerning Pollution from
Land-based Sources and Activities in
the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) –
the LBS Protocol -- and in particular
Annex III on Domestic Wastewater.
The LBS Protocol is the third protocol
developed under the Convention for
the Protection and Development of
the Marine Environment of the Wider
Caribbean (the Cartagena Conven-
tion) for which UNEP-CAR/RCU
serves as Secretariat.
The CReW Project for the Wider
Caribbean was approved by the
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
in December 2010.
The overall objective of this
project is to, “in the context of the
Cartagena Convention and LBS
Protocol, pilot revolving financing
mechanisms and their wastewater
management reforms that can be
subsequently established as feasi-
ble instruments to provide sustain-
able financing for the implementa-
tion of environmentally sound and
cost effective wastewater manage-
ment measures.”
The three interlinked compo-
nents of the CReW Project are: (1)
Investment and Sustainable Fi-
nancing; (2) Reforms for Wastewa-
ter Management and (3) Commu-
nications, Outreach and Training.
To celebrate the 80th anniver-
sary of Water En Energiebedrijf
Aruba NV (WEB), the Caribbean
Desalination Association (Carib-
DA) held a conference and exhi-
bition on the island of Aruba in
June 2012.
Titled “80 Years of Desalina-
tion Makes For One Happy Is-
land”, intended subjects for the
conference were: Technology &
Innovations, Planning and Man-
agement, Finance & Economics,
Regulations and the Environ-
ment, Seawater Reverse Osmosis
Applications, Desalination Us-
ing Green Energy and Thermal
Desalination, among others.
CARIBDA
Hosts
Successful
2012
Conference
CAWASA and CReW sign SSFA

In 2013 World Water Day (WWD)
will share the topic of Water Coop-
eration.
Now in its 21st year, World Water
Day has grown to become one of the
key dates in the United Nations cal-
endar.
The WWD represents a culminat-
ing event within the International
Year. Celebrations for the WWD will
take place around the world on the
theme of water cooperation.
The main UN international event
will take place in The Netherlands,
hosted by the Dutch Government
and coordinated by UNESCO and
UNECE with the support of UN-Wa-
ter Members and Partners.
A High-Level Interactive Dialogue
of the sixty-seventh session of the
General Assembly will also be con-
vened in New York on 22 March 2013
to mark the 2013 International Year
of Water Cooperation and the twen-
tieth anniversary of the proclamation
of World Water Day.
About Workld Water Day
International World Water Day
is held annually on 22 March as a
means of focusing attention on the
importance of freshwater and advo-
cating for the sustainable manage-
ment of freshwater resources.
An international day to celebrate
freshwater was recommended at
the 1992 United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development
(UNCED). The United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly responded by des-
ignating 22 March 1993 as the first
World Water Day.
Each year, World Water Day high-
lights a specific aspect of freshwa-
ter. Coming soon in this section of
the website, we will present a brief
overview of the different themes that
have been the focus of World Water
Day celebrations
WORLD WATER DAY
22nd
March 2013
The UN International Year 2013
and the World Water Day, 22 March
2013, was devoted to the theme
"Water Cooperation".
The seminar officially launched
and introduced the preparations for
both, the year and the day, and in-
formed about the planned activities
and initiatives; it also offered the
opportunity to gather inputs and
commitments from stakeholders.
Water cooperation has multiple
dimensions including cultural, edu-
cational, scientific, religious, ethical,
social, political, legal, institutional
and economic aspects.
A multidisciplinary approach is
essential to grasp the many facets
implied in the concept and to blend
such parts into a holistic vision.
Moreover, in order to be successful
and long-lasting, water cooperation
needs a common understanding of
what the needs and challenges are
around water.
Building a shared consensus on
the appropriate responses to these
questions will be the main focus
of the International Year and the
World Water Day in 2013.
The seminar provided inspiring
messages to feed the programme of
the UN International Year as well
as the campaign for the World Wa-
ter Day 2013, both coordinated by
UNESCO in cooperation with UN-
ECE and with the support of UN-
DESA, UNW-DPAC, UNW-DPC,
on behalf UN-Water.
Ready for World Water
Cooperation 2013
5Numbers
to remember
when drinking
water
According to a report by Fox
News, ten signs a body is dehy-
drated include: 1. Dry mouth
and swollen tongue. 2. Dark
yellow urine. 3. Constipation. 4.
Skin becomes less elastic. 5. Pal-
pitation. 6. Muscle cramps or
spasms. 7. Dizziness. 8. Tired-
ness. 9. Dry Tears. 10. Body al-
ways feels hot.
Health, experts suggest five
numbers to remember and to
drink enough water each day:
First, an adult needs at least
1,200 milliliters of water every
day, which is two bottles of
mineral water.
Second, it takes 21 minutes
for water to enter the cells of
the body, therefore, drinking
water a half an hour before a
meal aids digestion.
Third, water at 25-370
C is best
for your health.
Fourth, going to the bathroom
five to seven times indicates
that you are drinking a suffi-
cient amount of water for your
body.
Fifth,four kinds of people need
to pay attention to how much
water they drink: Diabetics and
patients with heart disease, car-
diovascular disease and kidney
disease cannot have too much
water or drink too quickly,
since over-drinking can put too
much stress on the heart and
kidneys.

(The year 2012 ended with St. Lucians anticipating an expected request from the island’s lone water utility, WASCO, for a
substantial increase in eater rates. But increases aren’t automatic. Any request must be published for public information
and a period of pubic consultation must also follow. The following facts were issued by the St. Lucia Ministry of the Public
Service, which is also responsible for public utilities and the island’s water sector. The fact sheet was circulated at the start
of a public information outreach by the ministry ahead of consideration of WASCO’s latest tariff increase application and the
expected period of national consultation at the beginning of 2013.)
St. Lucia in National Consultation on Utility’s
Water Rates Increase Request
St. Lucia Water Rates Fact Sheet
The current Water Rates are as
follows: Domestic consumers pay
EC $7.35 (US $1 = EC $2.71) for 1000
gallons of water for the first 3,000
gallons they consume. In excess of
3,000 gallons, they pay $15.00 per
1,000 gallons. In other words, the
price of water for monthly con-
sumption is less than 3,000 gallons,
which is 0.73 cents per gallon. The
equivalent price for a liter of water
is 0.16 cents per liter.
The recommendation by the Na-
tional Water and Sewerage Commis-
sion is for this price to be increased
to $12.21 for 1,000 gallons for con-
sumption that is less than 3,000
gallons per month. This means, ef-
fectively, that if the new rates are
approved, most consumers will be
paying 1.22 cents for a gallon of wa-
ter. The equivalent price for a liter of
water would be 0.27 cents.
To put this in perspective, we
should look at the price of bottled
water. A 1.5 liter bottle of water cur-
rently sells for $2.17, while a 650 ml
bottle sells for $1.14. At WASCO’s
current prices for consumers, 1.5 li-
ters of water sells to the public for
0.24 cents, while 650 ml sells for 0.10
cents. At the suggested new price,
1.5 liters would be sold to the public
for 0.405 cents, while 650 ml would
be sold for 0.18 cents.
For the hotels, WASCO currently
charges $22.00 for 1,000 gallons of
water. This equates to a rate of 2.2
cents per gallon or 0.48 cents per
liter. In bottled water sizes, this is
0.72 cents for 1.5 liters and 0.31 cents
for 650 ml. The proposed new rate
for hotels is $36.55 for 1,000 gallons,
which is 3.65 cents per gallon or 0.81
cents per liter. For the equivalent
bottled water volumes, this is 1.21
cents for 1.5 liters and 0.53 cents for
650 ml.
For commercial consumers, WAS-
CO’s rate currently stands at $20 for
1,000 gallons. This is 2 cents per gal-
lon or 0.44 cents per liter. The equiv-
alent bottled water rates are 0.66
cents for 1.5 liters and 0.29 cents for
650 ml. The proposed new rate for
commercial consumers is $33.23 per
1,000 gallons, which is 3.32 cents per
gallon or 0.74 cents per liter. Again,
the equivalent bottled water rates
would be 1.11 cents for 1.5 liters and
0.48 cents for 650 ml.
With respect to the sewerage or
wastewater rates, these currently
stand at $5.45 per 1,000 gallons for
the first 3,000 gallons for domes-
tic consumers, which will go up
to $10.35 per 1,000 gallons for pro-
duction in excess of 3,000 gallons
per month. The proposed increase
would be to $13.10 per 1,000 gallons
for the first 3,000 gallons and $24.87
per 1,000 gallons for sewerage in ex-
cess of 3,000 gallons.
For commercial consumers, the
current rate is $13.70 per 1,000 gal-
lons, with a proposed increase to
$32.92 per 1,000 gallons.
The hotel sector currently pays
$14.60 per 1,000 gallons for sewer-
age, and the proposal is that this will
increase to $35.08 per 1,000 gallons.
It should be noted that WASCO
currently has only 3,896 accounts
for wastewater or sewerage, which
is equivalent to less than 7% of the
population.
The procedure with the proposed
rates, according to the legislation
(Water and Sewerage Act) is as fol-
lows: A draft notice will be pub-
lished in the newspapers and the
Gazette, to allow members of the
public 2 WEEKS to comment.
The Commission shall then con-
sider the comments made by the
public and shall make the changes
to the report as it sees fit. The Com-
mission shall publish the summary
of the decision stipulating the new
or modified tariff scheme in the Ga-
zette and at least 2 newspapers, at
which time the new tariff will come
into effect.
Some facts about WASCO
WASCO operates approximately
26 water plants, over 80 reservoirs
and storage tanks and a distribution
network comprising approximately
500 miles of pipes, some of which
are over 60 years old. All of these
are in need of immediate attention
and maintenance.
Water loss is between 40% and
60% -- due to leaks, water theft,
meter issues and poor customer
databases. This means that over
half of the water that the company
produces cannot be accounted for.
The company has engaged a team
to aggressively look at reducing the
percentage of non-revenue water to
around 20%.
Electricity costs account for 35%
of WASCO’s direct expenses. The
company has estimated that to re-
store the national water system to
Pre-Tomas condition will require a
capital injection of almost $20 mil-
lion, while the de-silting of the Ro-
seau/John Compton Dam will re-
quire over $10 million.
Additionally, addressing the wa-
ter supply problems in Vieux Fort
will necessitate over $25 million in
infrastructure works, with a similar
sum needed to deal with the prob-
lems of poor water supply and qual-
ity in the Dennery Valley. There are
59,998 accounts for water, of which
40,976 are active.
Moving Forward
A tariff increase will not solve
the water problems we are facing
in Saint Lucia. It will merely allow
WASCO to cover its operating ex-
penses and get out of this peren-
nial debt hole that it has been in for
years.
There are steps that WASCO must
take immediately to increase the ef-
ficiency of its operations.
• It must drastically reduce on the
percentage of non-revenue water.
It has to reduce on the number of
inactive consumers, which cur-
rently stands at over 19,000.
• The amnesty announced by the
Government in the 2012 Bud-
get was supposed to have given
WASCO an avenue to address
this problem and the company
has to vigorously pursue this
option.
• WASCO must improve its re-
sponse time to customer com-
plaints.
• WASCO must also establish met-
rics against which it will judge its
quality and efficiency of service,
such as the duration and frequen-
cy of service interruptions.
• WASCO must explore ways to re-
duce its energy consumption, in-
cluding the possibility of install-
ing a hydroelectric facility at the
Roseau Dam.
• The monthly energy require-
ments of the Roseau Dam run in
the hundreds of thousands of dol-
lars, and this is one area where
expenditure reduction should be
possible.
• WASCO must also improve its cus-
tomer management database and
there are opportunities to partner
with LUCELEC in this regard.
Water is still collected traditionally for free at public standpipes across
the Caribbean. But while the average regional consumer spends more on
bottled water without realizing it, most also have serious misconcep-
tions about what it costs to produce and distribute water nationally.

CAWASA 2012 AGM and
Stakeholders Forum
Wastewater, alongside, water
has been identified as a critical
component of any county’s priori-
ties. The Millennium Goals, aimed
to eradicate poverty by 2015, that
have been endorsed by most na-
tions are unlikely to be fulfilled
unless more emphasis is put on
these critical sectors. The Caribbe-
an Regional Environmental Waste-
water (CReW) initiative funded
by the IDB and co-sponsored by
UNEP, have ascertained that only
3% of wastewater in the Region
is treated at an acceptable stan-
dard. This lack of treatment has
serious repercussions for coun-
tries both environmentally and
economically.
The Caribbean Water and Sew-
erage Association Inc. (CAWASA)
ended 2012 hosting three impor-
tant regional meetings assessing
best practices for running Caribbe-
an wastewater facilities and to con-
solidate strategic alliances for sus-
tainable development in St. Lucia’s
and the Caribbean region’s water
and sewerage sectors. Alongside
the CAWASA AGM the objective
of these meetings was to share
information between utilities, fos-
ter greater understanding of Best
Practices in the wastewater sector and
present opportunities on moving the
sector forward.
The first meeting was a two-day
Operational Assessment Workshop
held December 3rd to 4th at the Bay
Gardens Conference Centre at Rod-
ney Bay, Gros Islet. It featured pre-
sentations related to Effective Utility
Management (EUM). EUM identifies
Best Practices as documented by the
American Water Works Association
(AWWA), the Water Environment
Federation (WEF), the US Public
Works Association and the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. The work-
shop was conducted by the World
Water and Wastewater Solutions
(WWWS), which had been engaged to
conduct studies and assessments and
to lead the discussions on findings.
Presentations included a case study
presented by the local Water and
Sewage Company (WASCO), as well
as an overview of a project earlier un-
dertaken by the Caribbean Regional
Fund for Wastewater Management
(CReW).
The workshop began with an over-
view of the CReW project by Denise
Forrest and Christopher Corbin, fol-
lowed by presentation and discus-
sion of the Baseline Assessment. The
Caribbean Wastewater Under
Regional Scrutiny in St. Lucia
CAWASA hosts successful Operational Assessment
Workshop, Annual Stakeholders Forum and 2012 AGM
WWWS representative, Valerie Jen-
kinson, made several presentations
indicating the concepts, principles,
benefits and challenges of utility oper-
ation water assessments, offering case
studies undertaken by her entity. Re-
lated issues presented and discussed
also included data requirement and
sources, data collection methodolo-
gies for conducting operational as-
sessments and presentation of reports
of findings. Also discussed was effec-
tive management and certification of
utility operations and operators, as
well as certificate programme and op-
erational assessments, and hiring of
the right personnel for the best job.
Continued on Page 10

I wish to extend a pleasant wel-
come to everyone especially our re-
gional participants. I wish to also
congratulate the Caribbean Water and
Sewerage Association (CAWASA) for
hosting yet another conference which
brings together stakeholders of the
water sector throughout the region.
I feel very honoured yet humbled to
have been asked to present the feature
address especially because the request
came from Mr. Victor Poyotte, an as-
tute gentleman who I rank among the
highest professionals in Saint Lucia.
He was my former teacher and boss
so to be considered by him says that
I’ve received a passing grade at both
ends.
“Consolidating Strategic Alliances for Sustainable
Development in the Water and Sewerage Sector”
Iwilltrymybesttomakeyouproud,
Mr. Poyotte.Your theme, “Consolidat-
ing Strategic Alliances for Sustainable
Development in the Water and Sew-
erage Sector” is most appropriate for
today’s changing circumstances of the
water sector especially with issues of
climate change where we experience
extremes of drought and flooding. As
a result, our water intakes are con-
stantly under serious threat causing
our companies and water authorities
to operate at levels below demand.
The climatic changes strongly influ-
ence the reduction of water amount
and quality because the large level of
increase in carbon emission by the ef-
fects of global warming pollutes the
drinking water resources dangerous-
ly. Mountainous forested watersheds
are the most important freshwater
yield areas in the world. But we are
losing the supply of quality water due
to poor land management and defor-
estation. Therefore, sustainable and
equitable water management is neces-
sary for saving the world from human
and economic tragedy.
Manzoor (2011) emphasized that,
“Water crisis is a serious human issue
that exists when supply of water is less
than demand”. This situation is there-
fore certainly untenable given the rapid
development of our countries in the re-
gion. The impact of water on tourism,
manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare,
construction and domestic consumers
is quite profound. As the old adage
goes, “Water is Life”, we cannot but
over emphasize the importance of this
vital resource to our nations.
This therefore calls for collaboration
and alliances of various parties and
agencies in ensuring that we have thriv-
ing water agencies in our individual
countries. To this end, the Government
of Saint Lucia has created a structure
for regulating the water sector by estab-
lishing the National Water & Sewerage
Commission under the chairmanship
of Mr. Truscott Augustin, as well as the
Water Resource Management Agency
headed by Mr. Michael Andrew.
Continued on Page 7
Following is the full text of the Feature Address by Mrs. Allison A. Jean, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Infrastructure, Port Services & Transport of Saint Lucia, at the CAWASA Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder
Forum held at the bar Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, St. Lucia on 5th December 2012
Chris Corbin Denise Forrest

1
CAWASA 2012 AGM and
Stakeholders Forum
Continued from Page 6
You have heard from these two
agencies on the manner in which they
both regulate the water company to
ensure the affordability of rates and
quality of service for our citizens. The
three agencies working together is
one of the first and primary alliances
that must be created if Saint Lucia is to
achieve the Millennium Development
Goals of the United Nations to “halve
by 2015, the proportion of the popula-
tion without sustainable access to safe
drinking water and basic sanitation”
(United Nations, 2010, p. 58).
The other alliances that must be de-
veloped are among other agencies of
government that aid in enhancing the
delivery of safe drinking water and
waste water services. Agencies such as
the Ministries of Infrastructure, Finance,
Agriculture, Physical Development and
Sustainable Development must all work
towards assisting the government-
owned company in reducing obstacles
that impede progress and facilitating
avenues that enhance sustainability.
For us in Saint Lucia, the ailing wa-
ter company needs urgent assistance
in several forms – political will, cor-
porate governance, technical support,
financial resources, human resource
capacity building, and institutional
strengthening. To my mind, we are
playing with the economy, as a failed
water sector is inevitably detrimental
to economic and social development.
Paramount to sustainability of the
water sector is also the appreciation of
conservation measures by all consum-
ers. My Ministry supported this initia-
tive through the implementation of the
World Bank-funded Mosaic Project that
sought to, inter alia, channel waters to
reduce infrastructural damage through
the installation of guttering and water
tanks for rain water harvesting.
Continued on page 10
Regional Environmental Health expert says:
‘Caribbean Waste Water Management
Faces a Serious Capacity Deficit!’
Waste Water Management is very important, due to the potentially high long-term cost of continuing to treat it just as
something that can be put on the back burner. e-Source spoke briefly to Program Director at the Caribbean Environmental
Health Institute (CEHI) Christopher Cox, PhD about the importance of the Water and Waste Water. The brief interview was
conducted during the Stakeholders Forum and Operational Assessment Workshop hosted by the Caribbean Water and
Sewerage Association (CAWASA) in St. Lucia on December 5th 2012.
Q: How important is the workshop
and how important tor relevant will
be its results for the future of Waste
Water Management in the participat-
ing countries from across the Carib-
bean, including islands and mainland
territories?
A: It contributes to many efforts
that have been gone before, looking
at the best thing is, how will we find
the domestic waste, industrial waste
and the problem is that we all know,
waste water is something that people
sweep under the rug.
Waste water goes into places that
you cannot see -- into the rivers and
out in the sea. But in this context, it’s
in the environment and it not only
degrades the eco-systems, but it also
presents a clear and present danger
for us as users – as bathers every day,
as users of water for drinking, using
water for recreation. Tourists and lo-
cals alike all make use of water…
But a big problem we've had in all
these islands is the massive amount
of degradation of the environment,
whether through farming or fertiliz-
ing, polluted water, oils and grease
from garages, industrial effluence
(and all the kinds of toxins inside
there)...
So, the thing about it is coming up
with the kinds of strategies the Gov-
ernments or the Private sector can
put in place to minimize the clear and
present danger to public health and
also the danger to the economic assets
-- our beaches, our marine reserves,
our fishing and tourism areas…
The thing that we find, though, is that
Waste Water follows in an even worse
position than water because potable wa-
ter supply is already in a bad position --
people have the general perception that
water should be free, the payment for
water should be something that the gov-
ernment bears example, entirely, etc.
I mean -- granted that we all rec-
ognize this as an essential service -- a
right -- we need to have water. It is
essential. But the thing is: there's a
cost for it. Similarly, there's a cost for
Waste Water treatment.
So, there are many questions: For ex-
ample, How do we strategically position
by way of a policy, by way of getting
and giving support? (We're not only
talking about ministers or politicians
here, we're talking about the society --
the private industries, the stake holders.
But the question remains…) How do we
get the processes paid for? How do we
write a policy that ensures that what we
do supports what other economic sec-
tors are doing? How does the waste wa-
ter strategy link into tourism, planning,
and all those other sectors?
Now, that is where the utilities -- who
typically have (in most of the countries)
the management responsible for water
and waste water sectors -- how do you
get them to interface or interlock more
effectively with those other sectors?
(Continued on Page 11)
CEHI Project Coordinator
Dr Christopher Cox PhD.
Sewerage Sector”
=======================================================
ollowing is the full text of the Feature Address by Mrs. Allison A. Jean,
ent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services & Transport of
t the CAWASA Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder Forum held at th
ardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, St. Lucia on 5th December 2012
The banner at the meeting said it all...

Caribbean Water News
Jamaican Member of Parliament,
D.K. Duncan, has stopped short of
saying the social realities of some
of his Eastern Hanover constitu-
ents is a factor which has worked
against them getting potable wa-
ter.
Speaking in the island’s the
House of Representatives recently
Duncan said that in a section of
his constituency, the hotels are
blessed with the life-saving com-
modity while the "black people"
are forced to carry water in pans
on their heads.
"Our definition of drought in
Hanover is not that there is no rain,
it is just the absence of potable wa-
ter," Duncan said. He noted that
there is water in the area, pointing
for example at the Great River Wa-
ter supply, which takes water to
hotels in that section of the west-
ern parish.
"All the hotels, whether it's Try-
all, Round Hill, Fiesta, they always
have water," Duncan said. "But on
the left hand side, where the black
people live, there is no water."
The MP, who likened conditions of
people carrying water in pans on their
heads to an advertisement placed in
the media in 1972, which detested the
way people were living, expressed
sadness that 41 years later not much
has changed.
"There seems to be a systemic prob-
lem in terms of implementation,"
Duncan said, as he blamed the pro-
curement process for standing be-
tween policy objectives and delivery
of service to people.
"I have found that one of the major
problems we have where you find the
bureaucrats even being helpful is the
system that we have put in, the system
of procurement, which has brought
the country almost to a standstill,"
Duncan said.
He noted that the procurement sys-
tem has been put in place "in order to
respond to the public's outrage at the
possibility of corruption", but argued
that "we have gone overboard".
Duncan said the problems faced by
his constituents, as well as other Jamai-
cans, was not because Robert Pickers-
gill, the minister of water, land, envi-
ronment and climate change, had not
been working. According to Duncan,
Pickersgill had been accessible and had
laid out a clear plan for his portfolio.
He pointed to Pickersgill's 2012-
2013 Sectoral Debate presentation in
which the minister announced that
the Rural Water Supply Limited, in
collaboration with the National Water
Commission, will be embarking on a
major rural water-supply upgrading
programme.
But Duncan said despite this com-
mitment, the snail's pace at which the
project is moving is very frustrating.
"We don't expect miracles, but when
you are there with your constituents
and the water commission tells them
and tells you that water is life, you get
some sarcastic letters from constituents
who continue not to have water, about
their conditions of mortality," Duncan
said. (Source: Caribbean360.com)
Jamaican MP D.K. Duncan says
while procurement processes were
initiated to combat corruption,
they’ve been taken overboard, result-
ing in bureaucratic delays in delivery
of water services where most needed.
Procurement processes blamed for snail’s pace
of delivery of Jamaican rural water supplies
Jamaican MP D.K. Duncan says while procurement processes were initiated to combat corruption, they’ve been taken
overboard, resulting in bureaucratic delays in delivery of water services where most needed.
===================================================================
Jamaican Member of Parliament, D.K. Duncan, has stopped short of saying the social realities of
some of his Eastern Hanover constituents is a factor which has worked against them getting
potable water.
Speaking in the island’s the House of Representatives recently Duncan said that in a section of
his constituency, the hotels are blessed with the life-saving commodity while the "black people"
are forced to carry water in pans on their heads.
"Our definition of drought in Hanover is not that there is no rain, it is just the absence of potable
water," Duncan said.
He noted that there is water in the area, pointing for example at the Great River Water supply,
which takes water to hotels in that section of the western parish.
"All the hotels, whether it's Tryall, Round Hill, Fiesta, they always have water," Duncan said.
"But on the left hand side, where the black people live, there is no water."
Procurement processes blamed for snail’s pace
of delivery of Jamaican rural water supplies
St.Lucia’s Water and Sewage Com-
pany (WASCO) has applied for a tariff
increase via the National Water and
Sewage Commission. The National
Water and Sewage Commission is
an independent regulatory author-
ity, whose mandate is to regulate the
water and sewage sector on the island
under stipulations of the Water and
Sewage Act of 2005.
According to Executive Director
of the National Water and Sewage
Commission, Kelly Joseph, WAS-
CO has not increased their Tariff
in over 12 years which will also be
considered.
“WASCO submitted an application
for a Tariff review in October of last
year and that Tariff application was
further amended in December last
year. They are seeking an increase in
their rate. As you might be aware, the
Commission has three choices either
to increase or leave the rate as is”
According to Mr. Joseph, the Water
and Sewage Act of 2005 which was
amended in 2008 outlines three claus-
es under which a utility company
can apply for a tariff review - the An-
nual, Tri - Annual and Extraordinary
clause, with Saint Lucia applying un-
der the Extraordinary item. Tariffs
can be adjusted under this clause due
to extenuating circumstances such as
the case of a natural disaster.
The regulatory body will review
the request of WASCO, taking into
consideration factors such as the util-
ity company's balance sheet and cash
flow. “WASCO's application is for
ninety eight percent tariff increase,
however the commission would
have to consider all factors to deter-
mine whether such an increase can
be awarded but bearing in mind the
Commission can choose to reduce it
or leave it as is, but a final determi-
nation has not yet been made. That is
important to highlight”
The National Water and Sewage
Commission will be assisted in the re-
view by The Office Of Utility Regula-
tion (OUR) from Jamaica. OUR is a
multi sector Regulator with extensive
experience in the regulation of water
sewage, transportation and telecom-
munications.
Truscott Augustin, Chairman of the
St. Lucia National Water Commission
National Water Commission Reviews
St. Lucia Tariff Increase Request
A show of unity between St.
Lucia’s bottled water manufac-
turers is expected to intensify as
they seek to convince the buying
public that they meet the highest
quality standards and local de-
mand. This comes in the face of
a widening of the local market to
outside brands.
The first statement of unity and
solidarity was made when St. Lucia
hosted the Caribbean T20 tournament
in January this year.
The boundary advertising board
promoting the St. Lucia Manufac-
turers Association was beamed to
over 40 million viewers and through
a deal with the West Indies Cricket
Board, five local water companies
were given the right as the official
bottle water suppliers for the week-
long event.
The five water companies -- Bam-
boo Springs, Forest Springs, H20, Par-
adise Water and Crystal Clear -- have
vowed to continue the spirit of collab-
oration with major events coming up,
including St. Lucia Jazz, Carnival 2013
and other local and cultural events.
This is part of a Buy Local campaign
spearheaded by the St. Lucia Manu-
facturers Association, which argues
that local bottle water companies can
compete in quality and standards and
can adequately meet local demand for
both spring and purified water.
They also point out that they are
contributing directly to the local econ-
omy through job creation, taxes and
support for local events.
In addition, they say, all profits re-
main in the country. (Source: Carib-
bean Business Report)
Bottled water companies say they
can meet local demand

Water in China
by Asit Biswas
China's ambitions are high. By 2020,
it aims to double its 2010 GDP and per
capita income of urban and rural resi-
dents both. China's economic track
record has been impressive. It now
has a middle class population of more
than 300 million and has experienced
the fastest ever economic growth over
the past 30 years. But it may not be
able to maintain this momentum un-
less it overcomes one of its core policy
challenges: water, both in terms of
quantity and quality.
Economic growth is no rocket sci-
ence. Abundant supply of cheap la-
bor and energy powers a country's
industrialization. Without affordable
energy, however, energy-intensive
businesses are driven out of the mar-
ket and many factories are unable to
produce goods at competitive prices.
This link between economic growth
and energy - the energy-growth-
nexus - is widely acknowledged. But
most analysts and policymakers to-
day ignore what really an energy in-
dustry is powered by: abundant and
sustainable supply of water.
Indeed, China's economy runs on
water. Water is needed at one stage or
another to generate energy. China's
industry is the second largest water
consumer - it consumes 139 billion
cubic meters of water a year - with
only the agriculture sector consum-
ing more. And by 2030, Chinese in-
dustry's water consumption is pro-
jected to increase to 265 billion cubic
meters.
Energy generating plants in China
are the largest industrial users of wa-
ter, consuming about 42 million cubic
meters of water a year. Since China's
installed energy capacity is projected
to double by 2020, energy producers'
share of water will continue to rise.
This growing demand will not be
matched by the availability of water.
For example, the Water Resources
Group, projects that if China carries
on with business as usual, its demand
for water will outstrip supply by 199
billion cubic meters.China is running
out of water, which could soon curb
its growth unless immediate counter-
measures are taken.
What exacerbates this shortage is
the vicious circle of energy and wa-
Will China run out of water by 2030?
ter - if power-generating plants need
water then water treatment and sup-
ply facilities need energy. The Third
World Centre for Water Management
estimates that the water sector con-
sumes as much as 25 percent of the
electricity generated globally. Though
China's water sector is not yet among
the country's most energy-intensive
industries, it will gradually become
so with new hubs of growth emerg-
ing in the water-scare western region
and the increasing demand for waste-
water treatment. Already, about 52
percent of China's economic output
comes from water-scarce regions.
Unfortunately, China does not have
much water to begin with. It is home
to almost 20 percent of the world's
population but has only 7 percent of
its freshwater reserves. Water is one
of its scarcest resources. And it is ex-
tremely inefficient in the use of water
and a world leader in water pollu-
tion.
China is the world's largest pro-
ducer and consumer of coal, which
meets more than 70 percent of its en-
ergy needs. The country produced 3.8
billion tons of coal in 2011 - almost
half of the world's total. Coal may
be considered a cheap source of en-
ergy, but the air and water pollution
caused by the mining and use of the
mineral is devastating. According to
Greenpeace, 2.5 tons of water is pol-
luted for each ton of coal produced.
About 25 percent of all wastewater in
China comes from washing coal, and
it contains large amounts of chemicals
and heavy metals that are almost im-
possible to recycle. All this makes the
true cost of coal in China as high as
1.7 trillion yuan ($272.82 billion), or
about 7 percent of its GDP.
So what can the country do to com-
bat these problems? As a first step to-
ward tackling water pollution, China
needs to rapidly reduce its reliance
on coal. A more ecological alterna-
tive could be shale gas. According to
the US Energy Information Adminis-
tration, China has the world's largest
shale gas reserves - up to 36.1 trillion
cubic meters . And China does want to
increase its shale gas production to 6.5
billion cubic meters by 2015. Natural
gas emits 45 percent less CO2 per unit
of energy produced compared to coal.
And though hydraulic fracturing, the
technique used to exploit shale gas,
requires about 4.5 million gallons
of water per well, it is equal to what
a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power
plant consumes in just 10 hours. Frac-
turing, nevertheless, could contami-
nate groundwater. No wonder, France
banned hydraulic fracturing in 2011.
The use of shale gas, therefore, may
not result in cleaner water in China.
If China takes the water-energy-
growth nexus into account, it would
most certainly seek a more balanced
energy mix and not focus solely on ex-
ploiting shale gas, for its planned rapid
exploitation of shale gas may reduce
its CO2 footprint but it will also exac-
erbate its water shortage. Admittedly,
Chinese policymakers are taking the
water problem seriously. But water is
still isolated from the country's energy
and growth policies. China aims to re-
duce its water intensity by 30 percent
during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-
15) period. It has also set new pollu-
tion-reduction targets, particularly for
the agriculture sector.
The country must adopt a coordi-
nated approach to water, which will
gradually price in the external costs of
shale gas or coal. Yet there is no sign
of China recognizing that water has to
be managed cross-sectorally. Its latest
plans do say that "water is the source
of life, production and ecology", but
it does not have a coordinated policy
approach to manage water, energy
and economic development holistical-
ly, without which it will not be able to
fuel its economic growth indefinitely
because it will run out of water.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Asit Biswas
is distinguished visiting professor at Lee
Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singa-
pore, and founder of Third World Centre
for Water Management. Julian Kirchherr
is a graduate student on public policy and
management at the London School of Eco-
nomics (LSE) and National University of
Singapore.
China’s Ministry of Environmen-
tal Protection has ordered local gov-
ernments to enhance management of
drinking water quality during flooding
periods after a southwestern city had
its main water source contaminated by
waste chemicals through heavy rains.
With the arrival of last year's flood
season, floods and rainfall eroded soil
and possibly washed waste from river
banks into the water, thus "seriously
threatening drinking-water sources,"
the statement said.
The ministry asks local govern-
ments to strengthen the monitoring of
water quality, especially in areas sus-
ceptible to pollution, and also to pro-
vide greater supervision of factories,
such as pharmaceutical, chemical, pa-
permaking, smelting and other heavy
industries.
Key pollution sources, tailings and
urban sewage treatment plants are
also under strict supervision, it said,
adding that measures should be taken
immediately if water quality is found
substandard.
The warning system should also
be improved so that environmental
pollution incidents would be re-
ported promptly to reduce damage,
the statement said, adding that acts
of covering up pollution accidents
must be strongly prohibited.
Waste chemicals from the Xich-
uan Minjiang Electrolytic Manga-
nese Plant in the city of Mianyang
of southwestern Sichuan Province
were washed into the Fujiang River,
the city's main source of water, by
heavy rains last year. Mianyang resi-
dents resorted to buying bottled wa-
ter after local authorities reported the
contamination. (More on Page 11)
China orders strict management of drinking water quality
China’s economy runs on water, but there’s concern about just how much of a
coordinated approach it has to this important source and resource.
What lessons for the Caribbean and the developing world?

Caribbean Wastewater Under
Regional Scrutiny in St. Lucia
“Consolidating Strategic
Alliances for Sustainable
Development in the Water
and Sewerage Sector”
Participants identified specific
and general water and wastewater
challenges and how operational
assessments can help, as well as
operational best practices that
can be employed. The represen-
tatives from 15 Caribbean states,
discussed recommendations based
on individual presentations on key
institutional entry points in each
country for future capacity build-
ing and training. Recommenda-
tions included training for media
and educational institutions to en-
sure sustainability of awareness.
The two days of discussions and
presentations – including an over-
seas video link with WWWS’ Doug
McRae in Canada – at the opera-
tional assessment workshop coin-
cided with and led into the CA-
WASA Stakeholders Forum and
Annual General Meeting, held at
the same venue, on 5th December.
The CAWASA Stakeholders Fo-
rum and AGM heard welcoming
remarks from CAWASA President
Bernard Ettinoffe, an overview of
the Forum from CAWASA Execu-
tive Director Victor Poyotte and
the need for ongoing collaboration
among partners from WASCO
Managing Director John Joseph.
Michael Andrew, Director of St.
Lucia’s Water Resource Agency
made a presentation on Water Re-
source Management in St. Lucia
while Truscott Augustin, Chair-
man in St. Lucia’s National Water
Commission delivered a presenta-
tion on the State of Water Sector
Regulations in St. Lucia.
Participants at the Stakeholder
Conference/AGM were presented
with an overview of the OECS Wa-
ter Sector Reform Project by Project
Coordinator Suzanna Scott, while
UNEP (United Nations Environ-
mental Program) and CReW repre-
sentative, Christopher Corbin, pre-
sented highlights on Opportunities
Offered by the CReW project.
The feature address at the AGM/
Stakeholders Meeting on the theme
“Consolidating Strategic Alliances
for Sustainable Development” was
delivered by Mrs Alison Jean, Per-
manent Secretary in the Ministry
of Infrastructure, Port Services and
Transport, which is also responsi-
ble for Public Utilities.
The regional aspects of the Ca-
ribbean’s water and wastewater
challenges and prospects were also
discussed at the CAWASA AGM/
Stakeholders Meeting.
A comprehensive presentation
on regional Water Sector Initia-
tives undertaken by the Carib-
bean Development Bank CDB)
was made by O’Reilly Lewis, the
CDB’s Operations Officer and An-
drew Dupigny, Division Chief of
the CDB’s Economic Infrastructure
Division.
Findings of the Land Based Pro-
tocol (LBS) were presented by the
CReW representatives, while an-
other session on prospects for re-
gional collaboration was also pre-
sented by O’Reilly Lewis, this time
in his capacity as President of the
Caribbean Waste Water Associa-
tion (CWWA).
CAWASA Executive Director,
Victor Poyotte, is pleased with the
outcome of the two sessions over
three days, which addressed water
and wastewater issues in the partic-
ipating countries and came up with
recommendations for solutions.”
He says on behalf of the CAWASA
Secretariat “It is now for us to work
on implementation of our recom-
mendations both at the national
and regional levels, individually
in each country and collectively as
a region,” he added. “There is of-
ten a lot of talk, much enthusiasm
when we meet then little action af-
terwards. Going forward this must
change. The Region sits in a precari-
ous position. Water and Wastewa-
ter is often called the “silent ser-
vice” and people take little notice
until there is something wrong. All
parties from the Utilities to senior
politicians have to recognize that
unless changes are made and fund-
ing available to provide basic ser-
vices to the citizens of the Region
our children and grandchildren will
pay the price both in terms of health
and economic security”
Poyotte said that “CAWASA
stands ready, as always, to fa-
cilitate the initiatives necessary
to create conditions for better un-
derstanding and application of
all the related factors necessary to
improve our management of the
region’s water and wastewater
operations.”
CAWASA’s Projects Officer Su-
zanne Joseph, who both participat-
ed and implemented operational
and administrative matters associ-
ated with the three consecutive and
two simultaneous meetings, also
expressed satisfaction with the out-
come of the important gatherings
in St. Lucia of local, regional and
international water and wastewa-
ter utility managers, operators and
consultants.
This project has been regarded as
a success story for Saint Lucia and is
being replicated in other parts of the
world. We must therefore continue
to encourage our citizens to practice
such conservation measures that are
aimed at preserving water resources
and also reducing the strain on the
delivery of water services.
In addition to this project, my Minis-
try has provided tremendous support
towards the restoration of the water
infrastructure following the passage
of Hurricane Tomas. We sought to re-
store the Ravine Poisson and Vanard
water intakes but were unsuccessful
with Vanard given the magnitude of
the structural damage and river re-
alignment which occurred. It is my
hope that the much needed assistance
will be received to allow for the com-
pletion of this project as it is not only
a substitute source to the Roseau Dam
but also a complement to meet the de-
mands of the country.
Yet again, a call was made to a few
Friendly Governments for urgent re-
sponse to restore the water sector, spe-
cifically the Roseau Dam which has
been deemed heavily silted as a result
of the tremendous landslides that oc-
curred during Hurricane Tomas. I am
aware that the Cuban Government
responded and continued to show
interest in providing assistance in
dredging the Dam so that its capacity
could return to its original levels. All
of these, and there are many more, are
examples of the alliances that have al-
ready been created to ensure the sus-
tainability of the water company and
by extension, the water sector.Not-
withstanding the collaboration high-
lighted above, the most urgent need
for the company is meaningful capital
injection.
I am aware that a proposal has been
submitted to the Water & Sewerage
Commission for tariff review which
to my mind is long overdue, how-
ever the question is: should the rates
for water be set at a level that would
cause self-sustainability for the com-
pany or must government always
provide subsidies to guarantee the af-
fordability of water for all?
The indifference of consumers to
rate increases for water is amazing in
a country where mobile penetration is
above 100 per cent. There appears to
be a paradox where citizens deem mo-
bile phones as necessities but are not
willing to pay more for water, which
is life. On the other hand, the level of
governmental support also does not
seem equitable. There are issues that
must be settled.
In financing the water sector, an-
other approach that could be consid-
ered is public private partnerships
but, social water policies must be ex-
plored to clarify the definition of wa-
ter affordability and water poverty;
provide analysis of regulations aimed
at helping low-income households in
terms of water affordability; and pro-
vide empirical analysis of water af-
fordability. Saint Lucia pursued the
PPP procurement process but was
thereafter aborted.
In moving forward to the achieve-
ment of sustainable development in
the water and sewerage sector, con-
sumers must be reminded that what
flows through our taps is not raw
water but actually a transformed re-
source called treated water.
So, while water is important for life,
treated water that has been purified
makes the quality of that water safe
for drinking, food production, manu-
facturing, bathing, among other uses.
I trust therefore that all stakeholders
will work synergistically to enhance
the quality of service meted out in the
sector thereby causing, not only suc-
cess, but sustainability of the water
sector in the Caribbean.
I wish you success in your delibera-
tions throughout this Annual General
Meeting and look forward to a solid
water and wastewater sector through-
out the region. Thank you.
CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte makes a telling point at the
December 2012 workshop.
Mrs. Allison A. Jean - Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport

That is of a capacity deficit that we
find exists, because the guys who are
in the water utilities are mostly en-
gineers and their job is charged with
providing water to the public. But you
also have a middle-ground to travel:
to convince people of the kind of ser-
vice that Waste Water is; what waste
water is all about; and how you com-
municate that effectively and broaden
the discussion beyond the water utili-
ties.
There are many things that need
to be done so that waste water and
waste water management is regarded
as something that we all share respon-
sibility in. So, this workshop is look-
ing at some of those issues that can be
Regional Environmental Health Expert says:
‘Caribbean Waste Water Management
Faces a Serious Capacity Deficit!’
more effectively dealt with at and by a
utility level, but also considering what
utilities need to do to win support of
persons outside of the water utility --
the Ministries of Health and Tourism,
the Private Sector Enterprises, your
Business Community, your Chamber
of Commerce, your Manufacturers
Association, etc.
Alltheseareallpeoplethatareusing
water in their enterprises. They mod-
ify the water and pollute it by throw-
ing pollutants into it and discharging
it. So, they too have a responsibility
like everybody else. Therefore, the re-
sponsibility for water, in all its forms,
does not only lie with the water util-
ity, but with the society in general.
Q. Are there any waste-water treat-
ment plants or facilities in St. Lucia
and how effective are they?
A. There are a few. The main one is
the Beausejour one covering the Rod-
ney Bay area and which includes most
of the major hotels, in addition to the
houses that surround from South Cap
Estate, Bonne Terre, Reduit Heights,
Reduit Orchard and those areas
around the catchment area, including
Rodney Bay itself. But there are also
other processing plants and systems,
one in Vieux Fort at the brewery and
other private enterprises that have
their own.
At Cul de Sac, Lucelec also has its
own waste water treatment plant.
Then there are the hotels, like Sandals
with its private packaged water treat-
ment plant. There was also one at Mi-
coud at one time.
But beyond that, most waste water
is on site. When you have a private
toilet, you flush into a septic tank
that has a soak-away, but once the
solid waste settles in the tank, the wa-
ter itself would have been “safe” to
discharge into the soil environment,
where it is further broken down by
bacteria and so, that further renders it
relatively clean.
However, in many instances,
they are no properly sized, they
are not constructed properly and
they are not disposed properly into
the soil, so they still create a lot of
problems.
Water is managed in several places through plants and other facilities,
but direct draining of waste and waste water into rivers and the
sea remains a problem in several territories.
y, by way of getting and giving support? (We're not only talking about ministers or
cians here, we're talking about the society -- the private industries, the stake holders. But
uestion remains…) How do we get the processes paid for? How do we write a policy that
es that what we do supports what other economic sectors are doing? How does the waste
strategy link into tourism, planning, and all those other sectors?
Now, that is where the utilities -- who typically have (in most of the countries) the
gement responsible for water and waste water sectors -- how do you get them to interface or
ock more effectively with those other sectors?
Waste water is managed in several places through plants and other facilities, but direct draining of waste and waste
water into rivers and the sea remains a problem in several territories.
That is of a capacity deficit that we find exists, because the guys who are in the water
es are mostly engineers and their job is charged with providing water to the public. But you
have a middle-ground to travel: to convince people of the kind of service that Waste Water
hat waste water is all about; and how you communicate that effectively and broaden the
ssion beyond the water utilities.
There are many things that need to be done so that waste water and waste water
gement is regarded as something that we all share responsibility in.
So, this workshop is looking at some of those issues that can be more effectively dealt
at and by a utility level, but also considering what utilities need to do to win support of
ns outside of the water utility -- the Ministries of Health and Tourism, the Private Sector
prises, your Business Community, your Chamber of Commerce, your Manufacturers
ciation, etc.
All these are all people that are using water in their enterprises. They modify the water
ollute it by throwing pollutants into it and discharging it. So, they too have a responsibility
verybody else.
Therefore, the responsibility for water, in all its forms, does not only lie with the water
WASCO’s Beausejour waste water plant handles and processes solid
waste from hotels, business places and residences in Gros Islet, Rodney
Bay, Choc and surrounding areas.
utility, but with the society in general.
Q. Are there any waste-water treatment plants or facilities in St. Lucia and how effective are
they?
A. There are a few. The main one is the Beausejour one covering the Rodney Bay area and which
includes most of the major hotels, in addition to the houses that surround from South Cap Estate,
Bonne Terre, Reduit Heights, Reduit Orchard and those areas around the catchment area,
including Rodney Bay itself.
But there are also other processing plants and systems, one in Vieux Fort at the brewery
St. Lucia’s WASCO has for many years had an effective waste water treatment plant at Beausejour in the island’s north (near the
Beausejour Cricket Ground) that treats waste from hotels and residences, docks and private sector companies.
and other private enterprises that have their own.
At Cul de Sac, Lucelec also has its own waste water treatment plant.
Then there are the hotels, like Sandals with its private packaged water treatment plant.
There was also one at Micoud at one time.
But beyond that, most waste water is on site. When you have a private toilet, you flush
into a septic tank that has a soak-away, but once the solid waste settles in the tank, the water
itself would have been “safe” to discharge into the soil environment, where it is further broken
down by bacteria and so, that further renders it relatively clean.
However, in many instances, they are no properly sized, they are not constructed properly
and they are not disposed properly into the soil, so they still create a lot of problems.
China is not only committed to
working more closely with other na-
tions to find solutions for the global
water crisis, but is also willing to share
its unique experiences in water man-
agement and conservation, said Chen
Lei, minister of water resources.
“The water crisis has become a bot-
tleneck for sustainable development
across the globe and there needs to
be concerted efforts among nations to
come up with solutions,” Chen said.
Chen, who led the Chinese delega-
tion to the 6th World Water Forum
in Marseille, France, last March , says
China and the European Union will
sign an agreement on sharing experi-
ences on water management.
“Water shortages and water-related
disasters are becoming more and more
serious, due to rising populations, ad-
vanced urbanization and global cli-
mate change,” Chen said.
The forum, organized by the World
Water Council (WWC) every three
years, is the main international meet-
ing to discuss water issues.
“The water crisis is a major concern
for all nations,” Chen said. The Mar-
seille meeting is the first global plat-
form on water issues that China is
participating in as a full member after
joining the WWC in 2009.
“As a WWC member, China will join
more international exchanges during
the forum, especially on disaster con-
trol and relief operations,” Chen said.
According to the minister, China
and Japan will hold a ministerial
roundtable during the meeting to dis-
cuss solutions to water-related disas-
ters.
Despite the constant threat of flood
and drought, China has made remark-
able progress in the water sector, Chen
said.
The biggest achievement of success-
ful water management has been the
record harvests, which have ensured
that nearly 95 percent of the grain
needs are met from domestic sources,
he said.
The national grain output reached
571 million tons in 2011, an annual
increase of 4.5 percent and the eighth
consecutive year of growth.
Climate change has worsened in re-
cent years and many parts of the globe
are facing extreme weather situations.
China is no exception as droughts
have now become a major threat to
grain security.
From 2003 to 2009, the total grain
loss from natural disasters was 303.35
million tons - more than four times
the increase in output over the same
period.
During this period, the grain lost
due to drought alone was 185.38 mil-
lion tons, according to information
provided by the Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences.
To combat this, China decided to
invest 4 trillion yuan ($633 billion)
on water conservation projects in the
10 years from 2011. This represents a
sharp increase on the 200 billion yuan
spent on the water sector in 2010,
Chen said.
To ensure that there is adequate
funding for water conservation proj-
ects, the government will utilize 10
percent of the land transaction rev-
enues for farmland irrigation projects.
China invested a record 345.2 billion
yuan on water conservation projects
in 2011, gave priority to improving
the irrigation infrastructure for grain
security and came up with projects
to deal with drought and flood, Chen
said.
Irrigated land in China reached
60.33 million hectares compared with
49 million hectares in 1980, according
to information provided by the Wa-
ter Ministry. Irrigated land produces
more than 75 percent of China’s grain
output and more than 90 percent of its
vegetables and economic crops.
“The government will take steps to
further improve water conservancy,
such as increasing investment and
speeding up construction,” Chen said,
adding that, “such huge investment is
unparalleled anywhere in the world”.
More efforts have also been made to
improve the water quality and the na-
tional flood-control and drought-relief
system, the minister said.
The government has set a goal to
provide safe drinking water to all
rural residents by 2013. As of today,
nearly 300 million rural residents lack
access to safe drinking water.
Steps to repair 50,000 old and haz-
ardous reservoirs will be undertaken
on a priority basis, the minister said.
Nearly 7,356 large and medium-sized
reservoirs have already been rein-
forced or rebuilt by the end of 2010.
Repairs on another 5,400 small-sized
reservoirs will be completed this year.
Besides highlighting China’s achieve-
ments in the water sector, the minister
also revealed that more efforts will be
taken to enhance China’s involvement
in global water movements.
The six-day forum in Marseille
brought together more than 35,000
participants from 180 countries.
Minister says world can tap into China’s water management
Chen Lei, China’s Minister of
Water Resources
Minister says world can tap into China’s
water management
China is not only committed to working more closely with other nations to find solutions for the
global water crisis, but is also willing to share its unique experiences in water management and
conservation, said Chen Lei, minister of water resources.
Chen Lei, China’s Minister of Water Resources[China Daily]
"The water crisis has become a bottleneck for sustainable development across the globe and
there needs to be concerted efforts among nations to come up with solutions," Chen said.
Chen, who led the Chinese delegation to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, last
March , says China and the European Union will sign an agreement on sharing experiences on
water management.
"Water shortages and water-related disasters are becoming more and more serious, due to rising
populations, advanced urbanization and global climate change," Chen said.
The forum, organized by the World Water Council (WWC) every three years, is the main
international meeting to discuss water issues.

The Caribbean Water and Sew-
erage Association Inc. (CAWASA
Inc.), in collaboration with the Ca-
ribbean Environmental Health
Institute (CEHI), as well as GIZ
(Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Interna-
tionale Zusammenarbeit) organized
a two-day workshop on “Waste-
water Operations and Maintenance
of Wastewater Treatment Plants”
in Dominica from 26th to 27th
November 2012.
TheFacilitator–AlphonsusDan-
iel of Daniel & Daniel Engineering,
Grenada-- used a combination of
Power Point presentations to lead
discussions on each of the topics in
plenary sessions. He invited par-
ticipants to make inputs on the is-
sues raised and responded to ques-
tions from time to time. Emphasis
was placed on experiential learn-
ing and sharing of information.
Participants were assigned to
groups to engage in small group
activities. One of the activities that
formed a critical part of the train-
ing was a site visit to the Baytown
WastewaterTreatmentPlant.After
the visit, participants commented
that the plant was the most mod-
ern and among the best in the re-
gion. Over the two-day period,
participants addressed 12 topics
in separate sessions that provided
an overview of wastewater opera-
tions and maintenance.
Among the topics discussed
were: Chemical Analysis; How to
alter times and processes to im-
prove effluent quality; Removal of
grit; Activated sludge system; Site
visit elements of wastewater treat-
ment and meters and their main-
tenance; Understanding and iden-
tifying basic design of wastewater
treatment plant; Knowledge of
turning sullage into reusable wa-
ter; Practical design information;
Effluent polishing, nitrification
chart and process rising sludge,
bulkins sludge, sludge disposal
and uses; Actual detailing of what
is involved in the treatment pro-
cess and how much control can
be exercised over the entire opera-
tion; Types of treatment plant and
effectiveness; Basic mathemat-
ics; Treatment and safety in the
workplace; and Sludge treatment,
wastewater disposal and reuse.
Twenty-three (23) participants
came from water and wastewater
utilities that are members of CA-
WASA as well as CEHI Member
States attended the workshop.
Also included were representa-
tives from CEHI and the CAWA-
SA Secretariat.
The Secretariat was satisfied with the
administrative and logistical support
provided by the Human Resource De-
partmentofDOWASCOtofacilitatethe
training.
Participants made recommen-
dations are made for follow-up
activities, including that CAWA-
SA should consider repeating the
course for persona pursuing the
ABC certification examination.
Also recommended was a fol-
low-up workshop on Health and
Safety for wastewater operators.
It was also recommended that
Managers, Heads of Department
and Supervisors attached to the
member utilities provide support
and facilitate trainees in the appli-
cation of the knowledge and skills
acquired from the workshop.
CAWASA Executive Direc-
tor Victor Poyotte, following the
workshop, said, “From all indica-
tions the workshop was a resound-
ing success and is likely to have
a positive impact on the future
implementation of the operations
and maintenance programmes of
member utilities.”
Participants came from Antigua,
British Virgin Islands, Belize, Barbados,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montser-
rat, Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent & the
Grenadines.
Dominica Hosted
Successful Wastewater
Operations and
Maintenance Workshop
Some participants at the workshops
Facilitator at Workshop – Alphonsus Daniel
of Daniel & Daniel Engineering, Grenada
Participants touring Baytown Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Tour of Wastewater Treatment Plant in Roseau.

CAWASA E-source Newsletter Issue 4 - October - December 2012

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