New Providence, The Bahamas - Remarks by Hon. Philip E. Davis,
M.P., Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Works & Urban
Development o
n the Occasion of the
World Water Day 2015 “Water and Sustainable Development” given on Monday, 30th
March 2015, at the Lecture
Theatre Harry C. Moore Library College of The Bahamas,
Oakes Field Campus:
The United
Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period from 2005 to 2015 as the
International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”. This decade commenced on World Water Day, 22nd
March 2005. Today, we mark the end of
that decade with a discussion of Water and Sustainable Development.
Today, more than
ever, the world is aware that water is essential for sustaining life, promoting
human health and well-being, and preserving the environment. The world is also
painfully cognizant of the fact that every year, millions die from diseases
associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. Bringing it closer to home, the many small
nations of our region acknowledge our challenges with respect to water, waste,
and energy.
While the world
sounds the alarm to mitigate against water crises, The Bahamas’ press for
sustainable development and preservation of its resources are
well-documented. Until the early 1960s,
groundwater was the only available source, and it was heavily exploited
particularly in New Providence. Even as a fledgling in nationhood, The Bahamas
continued to rely on its groundwater sources for clean water, and, to a lesser
extent, rainfall. During the 1970s and
1980s, our freshwater lenses were studied, and their potential as reliable
sources of potable water was quantified and mapped out. On the face of it, there appeared to be
significant volumes available, but most occurred on the larger islands where
there are few inhabitants.
Ladies
and Gentlemen
In recent years,
our nation witnessed significant improvement of living standards in every
island, large numbers of visiting tourists, and electricity being readily
available. As a consequence, water
demands have sky-rocketed to the point where the groundwater resources of most
islands cannot meet the needs of the local populations. In New Providence,
wellfields were seriously over-pumped and could not be enlarged because of
conflict for land use and threats of groundwater pollution. In fact, during the 1970s, water was barged
from North Andros as a stop-gap solution to the water shortages in New
Providence. Andros’ terrain is typically
just one to three feet above sea level where this resource is best developed;
therefore, this process of extracting and barging became untenable, considering
the change in weather conditions, the cost of shipping, and the decrease in the
quality of the water following inundation of the freshwater lens with salt
water associated with storm surges generated by hurricanes.
The crisis in
sourcing groundwater, though, gave birth to now-thriving private water supply
companies as we resorted to desalinated saltwater systems. On a larger scale, Consolidated Water Co.
Ltd. (CWCO) began providing bulk water under long-term contracts to the Water
and Sewerage Corporation. Consolidated
now owns and operates two desalination plants on New Providence and supplies
over 90% of the potable water distributed by the Corporation. One day, if the world continues in its
current trend with respect to sea level rises, groundwater resources will
become a scarcity such that the only source of potable water available will be
desalinated.
The Government
of The Bahamas acknowledges the developing threats to its water resource,
particularly as it relates to the wellbeing of its residents and those who
visit us. Arguably, the most significant
challenge, however, is climate change, and its effects on water security and
other aspects of our existence. Sea
level rise threatens to destroy major groundwater resources in The Bahamas.
The SAMOA
Pathway, which was adopted last year, affords us the opportunity to bring about
action toward the effective, inclusive and sustainable implementation of the
integrated management of water resources and related ecosystems, including
supporting women’s engagement in water management. This is to be implemented through developing
institutional and human capacities; providing and operating appropriate
facilities and infrastructure; expanding wastewater treatment, recycling and
reuse; and improving water-use efficiency, all in the broader context of Small
Island Developing States’ (SIDS) sustainable development.
In this regard, our
national agencies responsible for water and sanitation services continually
plan for appropriate adaptation to our ever-changing environmental
conditions. The best technology will
need to be used to provide pure water and to treat all waste effluents.
Ladies
and Gentlemen
Adapting to the
use of new and improved technologies is critical; however, these are high
energy technologies and in the long term alternate energy options will need to
be applied. Water and energy are
inseparable friends. It is with this in
view that The Bahamas is initiating the use of alternative energy as an energy
source for RO, creatively engaging more and diverse applications of renewable
energy sources to suit the composition of our many island nation. Already, the WSC is in discussions with its
major Family Islands desalinated water supplier, Aqua Design/GE and third
parties, to introduce renewable (wind) energy at its production facilities,
thus lowering the cost of water production in the Family Islands.
Having regard to
the pre-existing scarcity of freshwater resources, it is vital that we do not
waste this very costly water. This
compels us to aggressively address our critical challenge of leakage of potable
water, which has been recorded as high as fifty percent (58%) from the WSC’s
supply. Other losses result from
unauthorised use such as theft; on a lesser scale, metering errors; and through
authorised usage such as fire-fighting and mains flushing – all discharging
water for which no money is collected, that is, Non-Revenue Water (NRW).
In an effort to
address this challenge, Government supported the Corporation’s contractual
engagement of Miya Water to reduce NRW.
Miya developed a comprehensive strategy for water loss reduction and
commenced implementation in 2013. For
the first time since its engagement, Consolidated Water, the Corporation’s
water supplier, reported significantly decreased revenues for 2014. This decrease is directly attributed to the
efforts of the Water & Sewerage Corporation and Miya Water Bahamas to reduce
water losses in New Providence. In just
over 18 months of implementation, NRW was reduced from its initial level of
6.9Migd, to 4.9Migd on an annual basis.
As a result of
the infrastructure installed and the effective monitoring and control processes,
the number and frequency of leaks have decreased, thereby reducing overtime
requirements and allowing the Corporation to focus on other maintenance
activities.
Over the life of
the contractual agreement with Miya, it is expected that more than 10 billion
gallons of water will be saved. By
avoiding production of this water, we will save 7 million gallons of diesel and
33 gigawatts-hours of electricity. This
is, I am advised, equivalent to powering over 600 households and over 800
vehicles for 10 years.
Other major
activities in progress include the preparation of a Sewerage Master Plan for
New Providence and drafting legislation to enable URCA to regulate the water
sector as it does the communications sector, and as is planned for the
electricity sector.
Ladies
and Gentlemen
For The Bahamas,
then, these are challenging, yet exciting times. Through cooperation of the public and private
sectors, we are moving toward meeting water challenges head-on. Today, we celebrate our having clean and
abundant supplies of water flowing from our faucets. As we progress beyond the decade of action,
we celebrate our successes, but have no cause to rest. According to the UN World Water Development
Report, at least one in four people is likely to live in a c
ountry
affected by chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater by 2050. For us – all Bahamians, all residents – that
is more than enough reason for us keep water management and sanitation at the
top of our personal and collective priority list, working in a spirit of urgent
cooperation and open to new ideas and a willingness to give “different” a
chance.
I bring the
greeting of Government and wish each of you a Happy World Water Day!
