Barbados breaks ground on $220 climate-resilient water project, delivers modern sewage solution 

Barbados: In a significant development, Prime Minister Mia Mottley and her administration has broken ground on the highly anticipated $220 million project over the weekend titled ‘Barbados Climate Resilient South Coast Water Reclamation Plant’. With this project, the island nation strives to move from a situation of an emergency fix towards a permanent and modern solution for sewage treatment, explained the PM.

During the official groundbreaking ceremony which was attended by members of the cabinet, Barbados Water Authority team and diplomatic corps, Mia Mottley assured that this five year project will not be putting the nation into any further debt as her administration has worked on a innovative system debt for nature swap in collaboration with the IDB - Inter-American Development Bank and Nature Conservancy.

She further emphasised that through this project the Barbados Water Authority stands to benefit from millions of dollars in funding.

While talking about the initiative, PM Mottley added that the journey of a small island developing state like Barbados is never easy and it is never done in one or two steps, but it must be sustained.

She explained that her team took the decision that if they are going to augment increase the water resources for the households and for development then they need to make a major change following which they agreed to treat the water in a way that it can be used to replenish the aquifers and to help with the irrigation necessary for the small farmers.

The Barbadian leader added that this was how the journey began and this allowed the project to integrate several purposes by treating water in a way that benefits all, particularly in the southern part of the island.

According to her, this project will easily support 150 to 200 small farmers as the pipelines will be extended around 25 km inland from the site all the way to Saint Philip. Along this route, these small farmers will benefit which will further ensure access to treated water as the system will expand.

“The wastewater will now undergo advanced tertiary treatment utilising modern processes, including ultraviolet disinfection, ultrafiltration as well as reverse osmosis. This is not simply a repair, but a modernization of the plant to meet the needs of the decade in which we live which will ensure it serves several purposes for the people of this country,” added the Prime Minister.

According to the PM, when completed, this plant will be one of the most advanced tertiary treatment plants of its type in the island nation as well as in the Caribbean region. The upgrade will ensure the quality of the reclaimed water produced at the Plant meets global standards for irrigation and ground water recharge.

The Prime Minister said the upgrade will ensure that the reclaimed water produced at the plant meets international standards for both irrigation and groundwater recharge.

The BDS $220 million project will be financed through Barbados’ Debt-for-Climate Swap, supported by the Global Climate Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The financing is backed by guarantees from the European Investment Bank and the IDB, with completion of the plant expected by 2032.