The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved an US$80 million loan to boost the efficiency, quality, sustainability and resilience of Trinidad and Tobago’s drinking water supply and water security.
The Washington-based financial institution said the funds are part of a US$315 million conditional credit line for the Trinidad and Tobago National Water Sector Transformation Program.
The IDB said this initial operation will include institutional strengthening and capacity building to help the twin-island republic’s Ministry of Public Utilities and its executing agency, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), “improve their governance and sustainable management of water resources.”
The program will directly benefit an estimated one million residents in surrounding communities.
In addition, about 16,841 business, agricultural, and industrial customers and charitable institutions in different supply areas will also benefit.
“The program will support WASA’s operational, commercial and technical management by providing access to innovative digital transformation tools and technologies and data-driven management systems,” the IDB said.
“WASA’s services will be upgraded through network rehabilitation and optimization, organizational development and capacity building, integrated water resources management, climate change and natural disaster risk management, and leveraging the IDB’s experience in water loss reduction projects,” it added. “All of these actions promise to lower the agency’s operating costs and subsidies.”
The IDB said the program is aligned with its group country strategy for Trinidad and Tobago 2021–2025, “specifically the strategic objective of optimizing digital service delivery by digitizing operational processes and adopting smart technology for water infrastructure and related information and communications technologies.”
CMC/
