Published 21 March 2023
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St Kitts Nevis News Source
GOVERNMENT TO INVEST 200 MILLION DOLLARS IN WATER SERVICES DEPARTMENT OVER NEXT 10 YEARS
Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 21, 2022 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in its efforts to continue to provide and grow the water services within the Federation has elected to invest 200 million dollars into the Water Services Department over the span of 5 to 10 years.
During his World Water Day 2023 address on March 18, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Utilities et al Honourable Konris Maynard said “The experts at the Water Services Department have indicated that over the past ten (10) years we have seen about an 18% decrease in the average annual rainfall.”
He added, “While we cannot predict the future, we have to be prepared for various scenarios including, longer dry periods and shorter, more intense wet seasons.” He also stated that as the climate continues to change the availability of freshwater in the Federation will change as well and hence the country needs to adapt.”
To adjust for the changes, the 200 million dollar investment into the Federation’s water services will include the following: drilling of additional wells, investment in desalinated water, replacement and upgrading of pipelines, construction of new and expansion of existing reservoirs and the introduction of modern technology to improve efficiency.
Minister Maynard also said, “Even though climatic changes are slow, they are nonetheless a real and serious threat.” He added that the response as the Minister of Public Infrastructure must begin with the necessary investments to allow for the careful monitoring of climatic and environmental parameters.
The theme of this year’s World Water Day is “Accelerating Change”.
