BASSETERRE St. Kitts, March 18, 2011 (SKNIS) - In commemoration of the Internationally-recognized World Water Day (March 22), the St. Kitts and Nevis Water Services Department has organized a week of activities to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and encourage the sustainable management of such resources.
Under the theme: “Water for Islands – Turning Challenges into Opportunities” the week runs from Sunday, March 20 to Saturday 26, 2011. The mentioned theme will stress that although surrounded by water, small island developing states face severe constraints in both water quantity and quality. Continued economic growth causes increased demand for freshwater - in the case of St. Kitts and Nevis such would come from the agricultural, tourism and domestic sectors.
The Water Services Department is therefore encouraging a multi-sectoral approach in the creation of opportunities for the most efficient and effective use of available water resources. This in turn would promote healthier lifestyles while preserving and protecting this vital resource for present and future generations.
Activities will commence with the official opening on ZIZ television and radio by Minister responsible for Public Utilities Honourable Earl Asim Martin and there will also be a Service at the Conaree Wesleyan Holiness Church. Visits to Primary and Secondary Schools will run from Monday to Thursday of the week.
Monday, a Panel Discussion will be aired on ZIZ Television starting at 8:30 p.m. A Meet and Greet will be held on Friday at Independence Square from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The week will climax with, what has been dubbed, a “WaterCade,” which involves the Water Services staff driving around the island and making stops in Old Road, Sandy Point, Molineux and Cayon. At the mentioned venues material and information will be distributed concerning the week’s theme as well as the conservation of water in general.
World Water Week is sponsored by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Global Environment Facility – Integrating Watershed and Coastal Areas Management (GEF-IWCAM) Demonstration Project in St. Kitts-Nevis. The GEF-IWCAM Project is co-implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is co-executed by the UNEP Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (UNEP-CAR/RCU) and the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI).
