Remarks from

 The  Honourable Bradley B. Roberts, MP. Minister of Works and Immigration

 

 

Master of Ceremonies

Chairman of the W&SC Board

Acting General Manager WSC, Mr. Godfrey Sherman

Permanent Secretary…

Recognition of others

Invited guests,

Ladies and Gentleman

  

The water sector in The Bahamas is perhaps the sole area of services provided by Government that truly touches every person, visitor, and Resident of the Bahamas. To execute it effectively, requires the will of government and the focus and attention of all the many professional who work in the sector both in government, the quasi government agencies like the Water and Sewerage Corporation, all branches of Government that have a "stake" in water, and the private sector including, farmers, developers, NGOs, and community leaders.

 

Water is vital to our tourism sector. The provision of potable water to our residents and visitors is responsible for maintaining our high standard of health and the well being that we all enjoy.

 

When one examines our history one will see that this has not always been the case. At the turn of the century a public water system did not exist on the island of New Providence. Public health and well-being suffered as a result. It was the vision of the Governor at the time that resulted in the development of the first water supply system on New Providence. The net result was that public health and well being improved and the quality of life on New Providence was enhanced.

 

My government is committed to further the development of the water sector in the Bahamas and the maintenance and enhancement of our standard of living and our overall well-being across every community, settlement and place where Bahamians live, work and enjoy the bounty of this great land.

 

This however can only happen when the people responsible for the sector share the same vision and work to achieve the same objective in the sector. We are here today to refresh our view of the sector and to acquaint all the shareholders with a common view; that ‘common view’ is in today’s language called Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

 

This initiative is very timely, it comes at a point where both regionally and globally we are recognizing that we must make “water everybody’s business” if we are to effectively provide  for the future. Throughout the world there is now consensus that there is a looming water crisis; it is widespread and it has the potential to disrupt lives, economies, human health, and well being. It is indeed sobering when one realizes that globally three (3) billion people lack proper sanitation, one (1) billion do not have access to safe drinking water, and in many parts of the world 90% of all diseases are related to water. The Corporation has made every attempt to spread this message with the most notable means being the Annual National Water Week Activities, held in April of each year. I encourage them to continue to spread this message.

 

The Government of the Bahamas has not been idle. There has been a very active program in place to extend, expand and develop new water supply systems both in New Providence and the Family Islands. This program has been publicized in the local press and at various ceremonies, like the recent commissioning of the new Blue Hills Reverse Osmosis plant, and I hope all here are suitably informed of these activities.

 

The objectives of the stakeholders meeting are;

 

1.     to educate stakeholders on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) issues in The Bahamas,

2.     to sensitise key policy makers on the threats to the water sector and sewerage disposal and wastewater effluent concerns nationally

3.     to advise on the WSC national strategy for the sector focusing on water resources regulations, water sector policies for pollution control and in the water and sewerage services in particular, and,

4.     To improve coordination between the stakeholders in the water sector across the commonwealth of the Bahamas and provide feed back from other stakeholders.

 

Let me remind you of your task - today you are here as stakeholders in water resources management to examine and refresh yourselves on the scientific basis for IWRM in The Bahamas and the Caribbean. To look at the sector, examine its strengths and challenges in the present terms, and to look to the future of the sector.  You are here to share experiences and out of this process to put yourselves in a better position to recommend to Government what needs to be done next to provide for the sustainable development and use of this national resource.

 

I wish you every success in your deliberations and look forward to the report of this workshop.