A programme for Promoting Rainwater Harvesting in the Caribbean

Caribbean Rainwater Harvesting Programme4. Strategic Directions for a Regional RainwaterHarvesting Programme4.1. ObjectivesAt the overall objective level the proposed Rainwater Harvesting Programme for theCaribbean attempts to: Contribute to the conservation of the water resources ofSmall Island Caribbean States through adoption of sustainable watermanagement and conservation technologies. The anticipated outcome of theprogramme is: Capacity for implementation of rainwater harvesting for householdand commercial purposes strengthened and support policies and incentivesdeveloped and mainstreamed into national development strategies and policies.The Programme will focus on promotion of investment in RWH across the Caribbean, withemphasis on countries possessing communities that are significantly water-stressed, whereinvestment in alternative water augmentation measures are not practical for widespreadadoption in the short to medium-term. Water-stressed countries that already have deeplyrootedRWH traditions will also be targeted, but with emphasis on adoption of best practices.4.2. ApproachThe Regional Programme is conceptualized as a slate of actions to be implemented at (1) thenational level, replicating the country programme developed for Grenada within a commonharmonized framework and (2) at the regional level to ensure overall coordination of theprogramme in alliance with regional partners in the water resources management sector.National elements of the Programme are as follows; (1) Awareness raising, (2) Capacitybuilding, (3) Legislative and policy formulation and (4) Infrastructural development. A fifthelement is Programme Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation. This additional element, isbeing built into the programme given the typical human and financial constraints in many ofthe lead national agencies that are envisaged to carry out the monitoring and evaluationrequirements of the Programme. This element will also be reflected at the regional level.The suite of interventions within each component is anticipated to lead to the creation of anenabling environment that fosters greater investment in RWH as a viable water supplyaugmentation measure. The extent to which national governments, and by extension society,re-adopts what is an old traditional practice will depend greatly on how much support isprovided at the institutional level. It is proposed that national agency focal points with leadresponsibility for water will be charged with the responsibility of championing the nationalelements of the Programme.For each strategic component the objectives are defined, along with the key actions, verifiableindicators that need to be monitored, and the anticipated result. Indicative costs for eachactivity are also provided.19