By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Oct. 22, 2025
Belize is blessed with abundant fresh water resources, unlike many Caribbean islands which contend with limitations in their fresh water supply, and in the context of the integration of the CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME), Belize’s leadership role in water delivery and the development of new water projects made it opportune for the Belize Water Services Ltd. (BWS) to host the 34th annual Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) conference and exhibition at the Grand Caribe Resort in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, from Monday to Friday, October 20 – 24.
At the conference, which is being held under the theme, “Engineering Progress Together: Collective Action for a Connected Region”, government officials and utility leaders joined the private sector, development banks, and the academic community to explore new solutions to meet CSME’s water needs.
Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño welcomed the delegates, inviting them to feel at home as part of one Caribbean family and to enjoy Belizean hospitality. “As Caribbean nations, we can engineer progress together, and take collective action as a truly collective region”, he urged the CWWA delegates. “A resilient Caribbean can only be built upon our collaboration, sharing expertise, aligning strategies and supporting one another,” he said.
CWWA president Candice Saunders echoed these sentiments: “We are a generation of innovators and bridge-builders, united in purpose. The Caribbean is not small – it is a constellation of powerful voices. Together we can be a global model for climate resilience and water security,” she remarked.
“We are deeply committed to managing and protecting our water systems, surface, groundwater, coastal eco-systems alike,” avowed Minister of Public Utilities Hon. Michel Chebat at Monday’s opening of the conference. This conference, he said, “is a reflection of our growing leadership in sustainable water management and climate action … Belize has made significant strides in expanding access to safe and reliable water services. Today over 90 percent of our urban population has access to an improved water supply, through strong governance, infrastructure investment and partnership with regional and international agencies.”
“BWS and our rural water units are increasingly adopting innovative technologies, improving operational efficiencies and strengthening regulatory oversight. We are also advancing wastewater management systems, particularly in tourism-dependent areas like San Pedro and Caye Caulker, to protect our marine environment and the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site,” Chebat affirmed. He went on to note, “We face stronger hurricanes, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion, unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts … In response, Belize has committed to building a climate resilient water sector … incorporating renewable energy into water systems … Water security is Climate security.”
BWS executive chairman Cornelio Acosta commented. “We see ourselves as part of a unified regional effort. Through knowledge exchange, joint training, and participation in regional water associations, BWS continues to collaborate with our neighbors, so that progress in one territory can accelerate progress across the region.” He added, “We must explore blended finance, regional bond mechanisms, climate adaptation funds and public private partnerships.” He proposed to leverage international partnerships with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, CAP, UNEP and the World Bank, to serve as catalysts to negotiate better terms when accessing financing for capital investments, and possibly access climate funding for long term resilience.
The partners considered “Who gets the Last Drop? – Rethinking priorities in the Water-Energy-Food nexus in a Changing Climate” in Tuesday’s plenary session. “Water is life,” Bowen & Bowen chief executive officer Nolan Michael declared. “From our perspective, it is not a matter of legal legislation or regulatory requirement. We have taken the approach that this is a part of what we are as a socially conscious organization. We have implemented several different programs.” He cited the water replenishment project in managing 100 hectares of tropical forest, with no resource extraction, to replace 100 million liters of ground water, which is more than what the company extracts to make its products.
“Hydrological data informs decision making on a daily basis”, cited chief hydrologist Teneille Williams-Hendy. “It guides the water utilities in sizing of their infrastructure. It guides road transportation infrastructure — how big are you going to build culverts, how high you build bridges.” She recommended that hydrological data gathered by different users be integrated into one database for better informed decisions.
The plenary discussions continue about the management of solid wastes on Wednesday and Thursday, and the delegates get a first-hand look at Belizean technology and innovation in action with field visits to different industrial operators on Friday.
