St. Kitts and Nevis breaks ground on $50M Desalination Plant to tackle water scarcity

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday broke ground for the construction of a desalination plant to be located at the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Park.

The development underscores its commitment to finding feasible solutions to the longstanding issue of water scarcity in the country. This 2 million gallons per day Desalination plant strives to help return Basseterre and its environs to 24-hour water service.

According to the information, this will be the second desalination plant being undertaken by the government, with the first plant nearing completion at the Canada Estate. It is to be noted that the plant at the Canada Estate is driven by solar energy and is being constructed in keeping with the country's sustainable island state agenda.

This plant will produce about 60,000 gallons of potable water daily and will be the first public desalination plant in the Federation. This will help to alleviate the water shortage brought on by climate change. 

This significant groundbreaking ceremony was attended by several members of the Federal Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, senior government officials, staff of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and other invited guests.

Following the ceremony, PM Drew took to Facebook to share glimpses of the brief ceremony and noted that this desalination plant costs around $50 million. "This had to be done; otherwise, the country would run out of water. The Government therefore had to prioritize," he added.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that this water situation is because of the decreased rainfall, increased temperatures as well as salt water intrusion to underground wells and all of this is a direct cause of the climate crisis.

He then continued to say that this is the reason that there is a much need for climate justice, as the cost for climate adaptation is unbearable for small island developing states.

"The previous government did absolutely nothing to increase water availability. A dismal failure," stressed Dr. Drew while reiterating his commitment to implement all such measures that will help in tackling this issue in the Federation. 

This new facility at the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Park vows to significantly bolster the island nation's water infrastructure. This will also contribute to enhanced water security and sustainability.