Dominica was among 15 countries in the region that participated in a high-level CARIBSAN (Caribbean Sanitation with Nature) regional conference in Martinique last week. The event brought together 185 Caribbean water and sanitation sector stakeholders and dignitaries from across the region on June 13 and 14, 2023 in Fort-de-France, Martinique. The conference aimed to promote regional cooperation on sanitation in the Caribbean basin and showcased the results obtained during the first phase of the CARIBSAN project.

CARIBSAN is a project that uses the treatment wetland (constructed wetland) solution to treat wastewater. This technology has already proven its effectiveness in Martinique and Guadeloupe and is currently being deployed in Cuba, St. Lucia and Dominica. This solution, which is simpler, more resilient to natural hazards and less costly than other conventional purification systems is well suited to the Caribbean context.

The conference programme included round-table discussions on the challenges of wastewater treatment in the region and on regional cooperation as a tool for tackling climate change, as well as discussions and presentations on the preliminary studies carried out by Cuba, St. Lucia and Dominica.

The idea for the project was introduced to Dominica through the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO) in 2018, following a visit by representatives of the Office de l’Eau (Martinique Water Office). The Government Housing Complexes in two communities, La Plaine and Cotton Hill, have been selected as pilot areas to introduce the project. DOWASCO has already completed the wastewater testing phase in La Plaine and is anticipating the start of the design phase of the project for that community soon.

Eleven persons from Dominica participated in the conference including staff from the Division of Forestry, the Physical Planning Divison, the Environmental Health Department and DOWASCO including Chairman of the Board of Directors of DOWASCO, Mr. Louis Patrick Hill.