Water high on CARICOM agenda

The Heads of Government meeting in Dominica’s capital for the next two days. (Photo: squidoo.com)

ROSEAU, Dominica, March 11, 2010 – With several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries reeling from the effects of a prolonged drought, the water situation will come under sharp focus when regional heads meet for their 21st Intersessional Meeting which opens this morning.

The Heads of Government meeting in Dominica’s capital for the next two days, will discuss water resources within CARICOM.

The agricultural sector, on which many member states depend, has been hard hit by the extended dry season with member states including Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Jamaica, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica reporting unusually dry conditions.

Management of the region’s water resources has been a key area of concentration for governments at this time and water conservation plans have been activated in some member states. Resources also have been allocated to ease the effects of the drought. 

The El Nino weather phenomenon has been blamed for the prolonged dry spell.

According to the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, with the dry conditions and prevailing winds this time of the year there are also increasing concerns about bush fires in the southern Caribbean .

The threat of disease has also been identified.

The Heads of Government begin their first business session this morning and among other issues down for discussion will be developments in relation to the critical situation in Haiti following the devastating earthquake of January 12th. 

Economic and financial issues, with a focus on the input of small vulnerable economies at the G20 Meeting in Ottawa  Canada in June, will also be discussed by the CARICOM leaders. Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank will be attending the meeting, while Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter American Development Bank and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund have also been invited. 

Heads of Government will also consider a review of the economies of CARICOM Member States which will be presented by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).