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Five-day water conference kicks off today

Published:Monday | October 19, 2020 | 7:20 AMJason Cross/ Gleaner Writer
Barnett
Barnett

Important discussions on non-revenue water and its spin-offs will be the central focus during the five-day 2020 virtual edition of the 29th annual Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) Conference and Exhibition.

The conference will run from October 19-23.

Although some stakeholders would have preferred face-to-face networking and discussions, they are still optimistic and have accepted that being hosted via conferencing app, Whova, this year, will allow participants to access, at their own pace and timing, presentations from experts in the industry. To ensure this, registered participants will have a six-month period in which to access and view all presentations on a specified portal. Exhibitions as well as sponsors’ information will be available throughout the period.

Executive Director of the CWWA, Wayne Williams, said during the virtual launch of the conference last week that from October 20 to 23, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and delegates of the International Water Association will discuss “some of the hottest topics in the Caribbean, especially non-revenue water”.

“Some people think that non-revenue water is just about water that is being wasted and the need to stop that, but a lot more than that.”

In layman’s terms, non-revenue water is what is lost along pipelines before it reaches customers.

On the opening day of the conference today, there will be a series of round-table talks and presentations with key partners such as the IDB, the Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Public Health Agency, the Solid Waste Management Authority in St Lucia, and the Cayman Islands Water Authority.

CUTTING EDGE

Following this, there will be 25 sessions on water, waste water and solid waste, including presentations on marine litter, wastewater surveillance by checking for COVID-19 in a community through testing at waste treatment plants.

“That’s something that is very cutting-edge,” Williams said.

Mark Barnett, president of the CWWA, said COVID-19 has brought to the forefront once again, the need to revive discussions on water and wastewater and use the downtime during the pandemic to make appeals to governments, to ensure proper infrastructure is in place to serve their people.

“One of the things we have to recognise is that since COVID reached the Caribbean, the key ingredient in combatting such a pandemic is the need for access to reliable, sustainable water. We have always been about access to water and the proper treatment and disposal of waste water, as well as how we handle all waste streams, solid waste, that is, whether on land or in the sea. We believe that the pandemic is something that affords us time to look to see how we can advance among our regional leaders, our agenda items. They are critical to the curtailment of such a virus.”

Barnett also highlighted the importance of the conference in that discussions will be had on climate change and its effect in the industry. He said the theme for the conference, ‘Water Security and Waste Reduction Sustainability in Uncertain Times’, is fitting and timely.

“We still are plagued by serious climate change events. You would be aware that this hurricane season alone, we are up to the 25th tropical storm/hurricane in one season. That speaks to the regularity, the risk to the region, and the risk to livelihoods and economies; and it is a real challenging period that we are going through as a region. [Though digital this year], the opportunity still exists for us to network in light of a COVID pandemic. Oftentimes, persons would schedule to be at a conference, but can’t attend because of work. With the virtual conference, you have no excuse to be absent,” he said.

jason.cross@gleanerjm.com