On October 13, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved an additional loan of USD3 mn to the Government of Dominica, to support the development of a reliable potable water supply for persons within the Water Area-1 (WA-1) network in that country.
WA-1 is the most important water system in Dominica, serving approximately 36 percent of the population.
CDB had previously approved a loan to Dominica in 2012, to upgrade its water supply systems. This additional loan will assist in integrating climate-change resiliency in the design of the Project, drawing on lessons learnt by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015.
“Tropical Storm Erika caused extensive damage to the water and sewage system in Dominica. It also led to the need to look at the existing infrastructure in that country, and reinforced the need for climate change resilience to be built into design standards and specifications. This loan supports the revisions needed to ensure that Dominica’s water supply system is less susceptible to natural disasters,” said Daniel Best, Director of Projects, CDB.
When completed, it is expected that approximately 25,000 people will benefit from the project. The majority will be in the capital, Roseau, in the parish of St. George, with the remainder spread across the western sections of St. Paul and St. Joseph and the entire parish of St. Luke. St. George had the largest number of affected communities as a result of Erika. It also encompasses the country’s main health care, residential, commercial and industrial centres.
The Project is expected to be completed in 2018. It is being executed by the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO).
