Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada: The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) has teamed up with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on an initiative to promote the use of rainwater harvesting (RWH).
UNEP has been implementing similar pilot projects in Asia, Africa and the Pacific and facilitating the formation of a rainwater partnership. UNEP is now extending this initiative to the Caribbean, through CEHI, using the lessons learnt from other areas, especially from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Grenada, a typical volcanic island, will be the site of the Caribbean pilot project. It has very recently suffered the devastating effects of hurricanes Ivan and Emily with the resulting impact on water availability and quality, and sanitation. It will be used as a model to illustrate how RHW can be used to augment water supply and the matching sanitation facilities after a disaster.
Grenada is attractive for the pilot study as it has the volcanic morphology of several other states, but also the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique present some of the issues that would be faced by some of the other non-volcanic islands that have little to no surface water.
CEHI will undertake a number of activities in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique aimed at assessing the current and future utility of rainwater harvesting applications. A programme will then be developed with the input of local stakeholders for implementation. This will then be modified and customized, after appropriate consultations, for CEHI’s other Member States.
“One of the major issues impacting economic and social development, health and safety is the availability of potable water. In Caribbean Small island Developing States (SIDS), water is a critical issue because these countries are surrounded by the ocean, have limited catchment areas and little storage capacity on land. The situation is worsened by frequent natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods which destroy infrastructure and cause massive damage to the environment,” said CEHI Representative Mr. Lindon Robertson.
Mr. Robertson said that this is simple cost and water supply technology has been practiced for thousands of years, but despite its advantages, it is not widely used in SIDS.
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