Improved flood management and water harvesting will be among the areas of focus when the Ministry of the Environment and Drainage, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sign an agreement on Monday, November 18.
The official signing ceremony for the grant project Agreement for a Water Resource Management and Flood Resilience Climate Change Adaption Programme, will take place at the Ministry???s new offices at Warrens Towers II, Warrens, St. Michael, beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe and US Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Larry Palmer, will deliver remarks, while Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Edison Alleyne, will give the welcome remarks. This will be followed by the signing of the Agreement.
The programme is expected to develop a scientifically based, systematic approach to the management of climate-related risks associated with flooding from ridge to reef along the west coast of the island.
It will focus on six critical component areas to address vulnerabilities related to flooding and climate change. These include improved flood management, where activities will focus on improving the management of storm water flows that are expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change.
Other areas of focus include a framework for improved management and control, to assist with the development of institutional, policy and legislative frameworks; analysis of water quality where interventions will be implemented to analyse the quality of storm water discharges on the water quality of coastal areas and the marine environment; and water harvesting where the design and construction of storm water harvesting structures will be supported.
julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb