St. Lucia has launched a multi-million dollar initiative aimed at improving the reliability of water by reducing the risk of disruptions due to leakages and pipeline failures.
The US$22.83 million initiative is being funded by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD) and the government of Italy.
They will provide the bulk of the financing with the St. Lucia government and the the Water and Sewerage Company Inc (WASCO) providing the remaining US$7.16 million in counterpart funding.
The Ninth Water John Compton Dam Raw Water Pipeline Replacement Project (NWP) will on completion replace and upgrade five kilometres of aging pipeline between various pumping stations.
Service delivery to over 58 per cent of WASCO’s customer accounts is expected to be improved, impacting homes and economic activity including the tourism sector. Ultimately, more than 56,000 residential and commercial customers are expected to benefit from improvements delivered through the project.
‘Infrastructural projects like this one are not abstract engineering exercises, as much as they are real demonstrations of care for our people,’ said Dr. Shanda Lee Harracksingh, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Minister of Physical Development and Public Utilities, Keithson Charles, said ‘let me put this project in clear terms. It is about people. It means fewer dry mornings in Castries and fewer nights for families in the north not knowing if their taps will run in the morning’.
Cavon White, of the CDB’s Economic Infrastructure Division, said the project is an important investment for financial institution.
‘It will advance Saint Lucia’s water security and resilience by modernising critical infrastructure to better protect communities and economic activity from future climate risks, while helping to secure resilient and sustainable water services for generations to come,’ said White.
WASCO’s chief executive officer, Mrs. Zilta George, said projects of this scale are not undertaken simply to solve the problem before the island.
‘They are investments in the St. Lucia we expect to become, in the communities that will grow, the businesses that will be established and the generations that will depend on it long after those of us gathered here have moved on.’
The NWP advances St. Lucia’s goals for climate adaptation, sustainable development and long-term water security, marking an important step towards a more resilient, modern water system, and a safer, more reliable supply for the people and communities who depend on it daily.