More focus being placed on water management
-Guyana gets water quality equipment

Georgetown, GINA, October 08, 2007.

Government’s programme for effective water management is receiving further support through the Caribbean Water Initiative (CARWIN). Today, a US$8, 000 water quality testing kit was presented to the Government of Guyana, represented by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud.
            Guyana is one of three pilot countries identified for implementation of CARWIN which seeks to enhance the capacity of Caribbean countries to deliver sustainable and equitable integrated water resources management.
Grenada and Jamaica are the other countries benefiting from the initiative which is spearheaded by the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management at McGill University and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH).
            The initiative dates back to September 2001 when initial discussions took place after which project proposals were approved in 2006. Its implementation targets one community in each pilot State. In Guyana, St. Cuthbert’s Mission, Region Four, has been identified.    
            Minister Persaud today expressed satisfaction over the initiative’s long-term implementation taking into consideration the importance of water management to sustainable development.
Insufficient land and water distribution and management system is among the nine constraints outlined in the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ as a hindrance to further agricultural development.
Guyana, due to its vast land mass and water resources was identified to lead efforts to address this constraint as part of its pursuance of the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ in a regional context.
Implementation of CARWIN, apart from supporting this effort, will complement other interventions by Government, such as establishment of more rainfall monitoring stations and pursuance of the Doppler radar construction.
These are intended to enhance Guyana’s weather monitoring capability particularly as it relates to rainfall.
Chief Hydrologist of CIMH Kailas Narayan who presented the kit to Minister Persaud, explained that the identified communities are responsible for monitoring the water quality and providing the information to the Hydrometeorological Service. Such information can be used as forewarning mechanisms to help mitigate the effects of flooding.
The initiative also includes a series of training sessions on the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management, hydrometeorological data processing and management; use of field instrumentation; and water policy.
The sessions have been designed for all stakeholders, ranging from community water users to technicians, and engineers and senior administrators. Guyana has been identified as the venue because of its availability of water resources.  
It is believed that competition for natural resources, including water, by impoverished communities leads to conflict between resource users, economic decline if the resource diminishes in quantity and quality and degradation of the natural environment. Integrated Water Resource Management is therefore rooted in the principles of inclusivity, including gender equality; participatory decision-making within local communities; resource sharing and allocation; economic security and well being; and environmental sustainability.

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