Water supply and sanitation in Grenada

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Grenada: Water and Sanitation
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Data
Access to an improved water source 87% (2009) [1]
Institutions
National water and sanitation company National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) [2]

In 2015, in Grenada, 97% of the total population had access to "improved" water, 99% in urban areas and 95% in rural areas. In the same year, 98% had access to "improved" sanitation, 98% both in urban and rural areas. Nevertheless, there were still, in 2015, around 4 thousand people without access to "improved" water and around 2 thousand without access to "improved" sanitation. [3] [4]

Improved sanitation is a term used to categorize types or levels of sanitation for monitoring purposes. The term was coined by the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation of UNICEF and WHO in 2002 to help monitor the progress towards Goal Number 7 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The opposite of "improved sanitation" has been termed "unimproved sanitation" in the JMP definitions.

Sanitation public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate disposal of human excreta and sewage

Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of disease, especially through the fecal–oral route. For example, diarrhea, a main cause of malnutrition and stunted growth in children, can be reduced through sanitation. There are many other diseases which are easily transmitted in communities that have low levels of sanitation, such as ascariasis, cholera, hepatitis, polio, schistosomiasis, trachoma, to name just a few.

"About 52 percent of the population receives private water service, 23 percent uses public standpipes, and 23 percent use rain water catchments, private springs, streams or ponds. Presently there are 29 water supply facilities in the country." [5]

As of 2013, Grenada had a US$6.9 million pilot project to adapt its irrigation system to climate change and conduct local and regional water planning, funded by the German International Climate Initiative (IKI). Groundwater depletion, lower water tables, disruption of water supply by hurricanes (such as Hurricane Ivan), [6] saltwater intrusion, and rising sea levels pose challenges for providing a consistent water supply for agriculture and tourism. [7]

Climate change Change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns for an extended period

Climate change occurs when changes in Earth's climate system result in new weather patterns that last for at least a few decades, and maybe for millions of years. The climate system is comprised of five interacting parts, the atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), cryosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. The climate system receives nearly all of its energy from the sun, with a relatively tiny amount from earth's interior. The climate system also gives off energy to outer space. The balance of incoming and outgoing energy, and the passage of the energy through the climate system, determines Earth's energy budget. When the incoming energy is greater than the outgoing energy, earth's energy budget is positive and the climate system is warming. If more energy goes out, the energy budget is negative and earth experiences cooling.

Overdrafting is the process of extracting groundwater beyond the equilibrium yield of the aquifer.

Hurricane Ivan Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2004

Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Ivan formed in early September, and reached Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Ivan caused catastrophic damage to Grenada as a strong Category 3 storm, heavy damage to Jamaica as a strong Category 4 storm and then Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and the western tip of Cuba as a Category 5 storm. After peaking in strength, the hurricane moved north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to strike Pensacola/Milton, Florida and Alabama as a strong Category 3 storm, causing significant damage. Ivan dropped heavy rains on the Southeastern United States as it progressed northeast and east through the eastern United States, becoming an extratropical cyclone. The remnant low from the storm moved into the western subtropical Atlantic and regenerated into a tropical cyclone, which then moved across Florida and the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana and Texas, causing minimal damage. Ivan caused an estimated $26.1 billion along its path, of which $20.5 billion occurred in the United States.

As of 2013, a rainwater collection system was under construction in one of the two villages without pipe-borne water. [8]

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Water supply and sanitation in Zambia

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Water resources management in Belize is carried out by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) in most cases. One of the primary challenges the country is facing with regard to water resources management, however, is the lack of coordinated and comprehensive policies and institutions. Furthermore, there are various areas of water management that are not well addressed at all such as groundwater data and provision of supply. Data on irrigation and drainage is not adequately available either. Demand on water resources is growing as the population increases, new economic opportunities are created, and the agriculture sector expands. This increased demand is placing new threats on the quality and quantity of freshwater resources. Other constant challenge for management entities are the constant threat of floods from tropical storms and hurricanes. The Belize National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is charged with flood management as they occur but it is unclear what institution has responsibility for stormwater infrastructures.

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Water crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo water crisis

Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has Africa's largest freshwater resources, it is suffering from an acute drinking water supply crisis. The country has one of the lowest rates of access to drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only 46 percent of the population had access to an improved drinking water source in 2012. Furthermore, the sanitation coverage was estimated at only 31 percent in 2012. Up to date and accurate information on water supply and sanitation services in the DRC is scarce. As a result of inadequate water supply and sanitation services, many inhabitants are suffering from waterborne diseases, including diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera.

References

  1. ↑ Kundell, Jim (2009-09-22). "Water profile of Grenada". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  2. ↑ "Technical assistance under the Southern Grenada Water Sector Supply Project – Institutional Development". Hydro RDI - Bureau d'études hydraulique international. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  3. ↑ "WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme: Documents". www.wssinfo.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  4. ↑ "WASHwatch.org - Grenada". washwatch.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  5. ↑ "Grenada, Country Overview: Land Resources Information Systems in the Caribbean". FAO Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  6. ↑ Peters, E.J. (2010). "Impact of hurricane Ivan on Grenada water supply". Water Management. 63 (2): 57–64. ISSN   1741-7589 . Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  7. ↑ "Tackling Grenada's water problems". Deutsche Welle. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  8. ↑ Brown, Desmond. "Optimistic but Cautious, Grenada Bolsters Its Water Resources". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
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