sept-2016

24 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean

Business View Caribbean - September 2016 25

The CWWA, itself, is comprised of the Executive Direc-

tor, Executive Assistant, Executive Board, President,

two Vice Presidents, two member representatives,

Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations specialist.

Membership stands at approximately 400, in total, di-

vided into four categories:

General member: a practitioner in the sector, either

with a major corporation or as an individual. Represen-

tative could be a professional who works for a private

company, or someone who works under the Ministry

– whether for an actual utility, or in a policy position

related to a particular Ministry.

Corporate members: individual companies that usu-

ally exhibit in the annual CWWA Conference.

Associate members: students, or people on the pe-

riphery with semi-involvement in the sector, but not

necessarily full, active involvement.

Utilities: Some utilities prefer instead to join Cari-WOP

(Caribbean Water Operators’ Partnership) – a partner

of CWWA in training programs. Though the CWWA is

much broader in scope, it provides support to WOP

members, as well.

Seminars and workshops foster awareness of new de-

velopments in water supply and waste disposal. “Pro-

fessional Perspectives” is a CWWA-sponsored lecture

series focusing on issues of importance to water and

waste management entities in the Islands. A recent

offering called “Rainwater in the Caribbean: Opportu-

nities and Challenges” addressed the serious impli-

cations of ongoing water shortages. Educational pre-

sentations such as these, given by renowned experts,

bring a wealth of insight and information to CWWA

members and their respective communities.

Communication Builds Rapport

This year, the association celebrates its 25th anniver-

sary, and exciting plans are in the works to mark the

milestone event during the annual CWWA Conference

and Exhibition on October 24th – 28th at the Hyatt

Regency in Trinidad.

Johnson notes, “The conference will feature work-

shops, professional forums, technical presentations,

training sessions, an awards ceremony, and a full ex-

hibition hall of vendors and service suppliers, show-

casing the latest technology, and promoting their prod-

ucts and services. There is also a social aspect of the

conference that’s about the distinctiveness of all the

different Caribbean communities. The venue provides

an exceptional opportunity for regional bodies to meet

and helps them build rapport.”

The monthly CWWA Newsletter, “INFOstructure,” is dis-

tributed by email to all members, and online “Sector

News” keeps them informed and up-to-date on current

regional and international developments. The associa-

tion has grown to realize the value of websites, email

blasts, and social media as vital communication tools

for connecting with their membership, and reaching

out to others in the water and waste management sec-

tor.

On the advocacy front, Johnson explains the essential

role played by CWWA. “We communicate with all the

regional Ministers of government, to help advise them

on topics related to water management. We put them

in touch with relevant tech experts, policy developers,

researchers, so the Ministries can make more effec-

tive decisions.”

Future prospects

Recently, the CWWA has signed some memoranda of

understanding with its sister organization, the Pacific

Water and Wastewater Association. PWWA is com-

prised of small countries, including Samoa, American

Samoa, and Guam that are tasked with water man-

agement in their regions and are keen to share infor-

mation. Johnson says, “We will be working more with

them in the future, benchmarking small utilities and

learning how climate resiliency is being applied in the

Pacific sector in contrast to the Caribbean sector.”

CWWA is also working with the Global Water Partner-

ship alliance to share perspective between Caribbean

water utilities and those in North and South America. A

major initiative, right now, is establishing a partnership

with the American Water Works Association (AWWA),

aimed towards improving the water management pro-

cess in Haiti.

The Caribbean water sector is in the midst of signifi-

cant change. Much of the infrastructure was devel-

oped in colonial times, and the needs and expense for

operation of the water management systems have in-

creased substantially. Investigation is ongoing regard-

ing appropriate regional applications that are in the

conceptualization and engineering stages.

“We are able to share that information,” says Johnson.

“That’s our greatest value to members – as a resource

to share perspective, applications, and solutions that

are then applied in a regional context to deal with our

changing environment. This includes everything from

the increasing costs of water waste management, to

handling and disposal of old electronics. We are the

preeminent voice associated with the unique perspec-

tives of Caribbean communities, and how they are

handling various challenges given the limited resourc-

es of small developing islands and small developing

economies.”