Govt, IDB ink US$3mn contract for wastewater treatment project

Jamaica's government has signed a US$3mn agreement with IDB to launch a program to repair and upgrade wastewater treatment plants across the island, government news agency JIS reported. A total of 44 National Water Commission ( NWC) wastewater facilities have been identified for rehabilitation. The first phase entails work on 11 plants and is already underway. Work involves upgrading and expanding the facilities as well as decommissioning some of the old facilities and redirecting their flows to a central sewerage system for better treatment. The initiative falls under the Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW) in partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the US Trade and Development Agency ( USTDA). CReW aims to establish innovative, feasible financial instruments for the cost-effective and sustainable financing of wastewater management in the Caribbean region.