The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is embarking on a number of projects as it seeks to improve its service delivery to customers, and improve its financial position and viability as a statutory body.
Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Dr. David Estwick, outlined a number of those initiatives during the official groundbreaking ceremony for Package A of the Water and Sanitation Systems Upgrade Project at Foursquare, St. Philip on Wednesday.
???The projects are being executed utilising funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank and other sources, such as the Canadian Commercial Corporation, and public-private-partnership arrangements,??? he said.
The Minister pointed out that the main goal of the projects was to improve water resources management in Barbados and the sustainable water and wastewater service provided by the BWA.
Projects being undertaken include the construction of a new BWA headquarters which is now 75 per cent complete; the Water and Sanitation Systems Upgrade Project; the residential smart metre installation project; the St. Philip Water Augmentation project and the Ionics project.
In addition, Dr. Estwick stated that the BWA was also implementing a CDB-funded Barbados Water Supply Network Rehabilitation and Upgrade Study as a prerequisite to a US$35 million loan to improve the Authority???s potable water distribution infrastructure and will include reservoirs and pumping facilities.
The Minister explained that these changes were necessary as the BWA was in a transitional phase and would be regulated by the Fair Trading Commission on its Standard of Service.
???It should be noted that in order for there to be an improvement in the standard of service there must be infrastructural improvements so that the customer service activities of the staff are supported by good working conditions, systems to provide adequate and timely information, efficient equipment and a more reliable production and distribution network,??? Dr. Estwick said.
julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb