As it continues to commemorate its 50th anniversary, the Water and Sewerage Corporation held its second Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) workshop at Margaritaville recently. IWRM is a holistic framework that coordinates the development and management of water, land, and related resources.
The aim of the workshop was to bring together key stakeholders in the private and public sectors, who frequently manage the water resources including the Department of Forestry, the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, the Department of Environmental Health Services, the Ministry of
Works and Family Island Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Consolidated Water Company, WSCDesalCo, New Providence Development Company, Paradise Island Utilities among others.
In March, the Green Climate Fund Board approved the funding proposal for a $65.197M project for The Bahamas that includes a $25.091M loan component, a $37.505M grants component and a $2.601Mn in counterpart financing.
This is the first time The Bahamas has independently secured national project funding from the Green Climate Fund. The project is structured around three outputs that together strengthen The Bahamas’ water sector. First, it establishes a strong policy and institutional framework by developing a national water policy, reforming legislation, creating coordination bodies, and implementing integrated
water resources management, ensuring clear governance and long-term strategic direction.
Second, it builds a robust technical and data-driven foundation through national monitoring systems, a dedicated water resources unit, and a decision support platform, enabling real-time data, climate risk analysis, and informed decision-making across sectors.
Finally, it delivers climate-resilient infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to wellfields, strengthened distribution systems, increased storage, and reduced water losses, resulting in a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable water supply system.
The project titled “Climate Resilience of the Water Sector of The Bahamas aims to protect the country’s vulnerable freshwater resources and strengthen groundwater monitoring and water resource management. Opening the workshop, Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis thanked these entities for their investment into the water resources of The Bahamas. “The Government of The Bahamas is grateful for the continued support of the Green Climate Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Inter- American Development Bank who work along with our highly talented and committed team of water professionals,” she said.
“Through these partnerships, we will continue to strengthen institutional capacity, improve water planning, enhance resilience planning, and mobilize critical financing for infrastructure and technical assistance. These partnerships demonstrate what can be achieved when national commitment is
matched by international cooperation.
The minister noted that reliable water systems depend on affordable and resilient energy. “This calls for the most optimum blend of high energy reverse-osmosis and sustainable wellfield production,” she said.
“We are already seeing the benefits of this balanced approach. Strategic investments in the Windsor Wellfield have nearly doubled groundwater production – from 215 million gallons in 2023 to a projected 435 million gallons this year – reducing our dependence on more expensive desalinated water and
delivering significant savings while strengthening water security for New Providence.”
General Manager of the Corporation Robert Deal said that the workshop is timely because it puts an emphasis on the future of water security in The Bahamas.
“It really is about how best we can protect our groundwater and coastal resources to improve the quality of life for Bahamians,” he said.
“I think we take water for granted. We think that water will always be here. But it is finite and it is a resource that must be managed. Particularly here in New Providence where there is a lot of development, we have to be sure that our groundwater resources are not polluted from garages, septic tanks and many other activities. It’s very important that we protect these resources for future generations.”
Head of the Water Resources Management Unit Dr. Tara Mackey said the workshop was critical because it helped WSC to receive data for the Green Climate Fund proposal.
“Many of the stakeholders were not informed that through their works and efforts the proposal that we were developing was approved in 2026. So, we wanted them to know that their hard work indeed paid off,” she said.
Deputy General Manager Cyprian Gibson said the next step is to ensure that action is taken.
“We want all the stakeholders to know their roles so that we coordinate those roles for the benefit of our citizens,” he said.
