A programme for Promoting Rainwater Harvesting in the Caribbean

Caribbean Rainwater Harvesting Programmeinvestments in RWH. In the case of the private sector this will likely be dependent on theeffectiveness of the emerging incentive regime to support investment, with emphasis on areasof the country that are frequently impacted by poor water supply. In the case of stateproperties, investment in RWH should be mandatory in water-stressed areas, however, it isrecommended that policy dictate that all new government properties be configured toharvest rainwater. For the communal systems on Carriacou and Petit Martinique, andpossibly on other islands, urgent investment must be made in upgrading the infrastructure toadequately meet demands.A pool of technical resources needs to be made available to render assistance in design andproject management, and assist in financial procurements for investment.To enhance capacity to manage and maintain communal RWH systemsThe sustainable management of communal rainwater systems presents special challengesgiven the fact that they service multiple households. Unlike a single-dwelling RWH systemswhere the owner has sole responsibility for that system, community systems are ‘owned andmanaged’ either under public sector (state or local municipal) or cooperative arrangements.In a low-investment environment these RWH systems may not be adequately maintained oroperated. The communal systems on Carriacou have fallen into states of disrepair on accountof loose institutional arrangements, non-adherence to best practices and lack of systems thatensure the value of water is paid for and is returned to management of the system. In thecase of Carriacou, responsibility for upkeep of the systems has been left entirely to theNational Water and Sewerage Authority as community members are not empowered tomanage the existing systems.The Programme therefore proposes to address the situation with respect to management ofthe communal RWH systems such as those on Carriacou and Petit Martinique, by buildingcapacity amongst key members in the community actively who will actively contribute tomanagement in collaboration with the other institutional stakeholders (refer to Section 4.2.2for details). Emphasis will also be paid to the formulation of adequate cost recoverymechanisms and their management.4.3.4.2. Key actions• Conduct stakeholder discussions – Dialogue must be pursued to determine preciseneeds and identify concepts for project elaboration. In the case of public sectorinvestments broad-based consultations may be required; depending on the nature ofthe application.• Technical and feasibility studies for RWH applications – RWH has traditionallybeen associated with water supply augmentation for household use however, therange of applications can extend well beyond that. In the hospitality and agriculturalsectors use of rainwater can be a viable substitute for potable supplies for non-drinkingpurpose, which is particularly important during the dry season. Use of rainwater allowsfor investments to be made in geographic locations that are not serviced by thenational water distribution network, or where water supplies are irregular.30