Govt seeks to become model of water resource management

The Guyanese agriculture ministry is looking for ways to make the country a model of water resource management in the Caribbean, government information agency GINA reported on its website. To achieve this it is crucial to decrease water waste and increase its conservation, agriculture minister Robert Persaud said. Over the past few years, Guyana has been investing in improving its potable water, irrigation and agriculture networks. Persaud said it is now time to now examine ways to properly manage water resources in the country, especially considering the problems with flooding. Guyana is 1m below sea level and 80% of its population resides along the low coastal plain where 75% of its agricultural activities are conducted. The minister was speaking at a Caribbean Water Initiative (Cariwin) regional seminar aimed at building institutional capacity in integrated water management. The Cariwin project addresses emerging issues affecting the strategic management of water in Guyana, Grenada and Jamaica. It is led by the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management at McGill University and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) in Barbados. The 6-year project, launched in February 2007, is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), through the University Partnerships in Cooperation and Development (UPCD) program. The UPCD program is administered by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).