Karayib Klima Rainwater Harvesting Project

Rainwater harvesting for Climate Change Adaptation: A sustainable agriculture, tourism and water conservation management in Grenada and Saint Lucia

Project background and description

As global temperatures continue rising, climate change will cause inter alias, more severe droughts, and changes in precipitation, runoff and streamflow patterns, all of which exacerbate the vulnerabilities of small Island developing states in the Caribbean. Like other Caribbean countries, Grenada and Saint Lucia are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change owing to their geographic location, small size, and high dependency on economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism which are often directly affected by climate variability and change. Consequently, both Grenada and Saint Lucia, are severely affected by prolonged drier seasons usually followed by torrential showers precipitated by more frequent tropical waves and depressions. Those inevitable changes have severely affected Grenada and Saint Lucia’s water availability and sanitation, agricultural yield and food security.

Agriculture remains one of the main economic pillars in Grenada and is practiced as one of the primary livelihood activities in rural communities across the island. The impacts on Grenada’s food production are already felt as farmers are experiencing the effects of these changes and are forced to minimize their crop selection as a coping mechanism for reduced water availability throughout the dry season.

The tourism industry accounts for 73% of Saint Lucia’s total exports of goods and services. The prolonged droughts experienced recently by the island confirmed the extreme vulnerability of the Saint Lucia’s water sector and its dependent sectors like tourism, to the impacts of climate change. Sites and attractions such as the Pigeon Island National Landmark, are among the most severely impacted.

In Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) (2018-2028) which defines the country’s priority cross‐sectoral and sectoral adaptation measures, the water sector is identified as a priority focal area for climate change adaptation interventions. In support of the NAP, a Saint Lucia’s Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan for the Water Sector (Water SASAP) (2018‐2028) was developed. This Water SSAP, “was designed as a 10-year framework for action to reduce water-related risks induced by climate change and climate variability in Saint Lucia, and to build capacities of relevant actors for facilitating the sustainable management of water resources”.

One of the strategic objectives mentioned in the Water SSAP is the promotion of the sustainable use of alternative water sources to ensure water availability under a changing climate (pg. 34). More specifically, the water SSAP identifies prioritised adaptation measures such as, 1) promoting the use of communal RWH and storage systems for non-potable uses and the retrofitting of private homes and commercial buildings to include RWH and storage; 2) expanding rain water storage capacity through the strategic placement of bulk water storage tanks; and 3) raising awareness and delivering training on the correct maintenance of private water storage.

Project Budget and Funding Agency

Karayib Klima recognizes that civil society can play a pivotal role in accelerating climate resilience and providing assistance in that regard to governments and relevant authorities in the Caribbean. Karayib Klima also promotes the formation of civil society coalitions between stakeholders in Haiti, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin to strengthen their capacity to advocate for and implement climate actions. Karayib Klima is funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Agency for ecological transition (ADEME) and by international financial and technical partners. The project has been created and is implemented by UNITE Caribbean, a caribbean development and cooperation consulting firm.

Karayib Klima has agreed to contribute a total of €40 000 towards the funding of this project. €16 700 for activities in Saint Lucia and €23 300 for activities in Grenada.

Project Partners

This project is jointly implemented by the Grenada Community Development Agency (GRENCODA) in Grenada and the Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT) in Saint Lucia.

GRENCODA is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental developmental agency committed to the development Grenada’s rural communities.

The SLNT is a non-governmental membership organisation established under the Saint Lucia National Trust Act (Chapter 6.02 of the Revised Laws of Saint Lucia) to protect Saint Lucia’s heritage.

Project Goal and Objective

Overall Objective: To strengthen the climate resilience of Grenada’s agricultural sector and Saint Lucia’s tourism sector by improving the water conservation and management capacity of specific areas through the use of rainwater harvesting techniques by the end of 2021.

Specific Objective 1 – To reduce the impacts of droughts and improve the productivity of targeted farms in Grenada by designing and installing appropriate and cost effective rain water harvesting solutions by the end of 2021;

Specific Objective 2 – To increase the sustainability and climate resilience of Pigeon Island National Landmark (PINL) by assessing and improving its rain water harvesting capabilities by the end of 2021;

Specific Objective 3 – To implement water quality monitoring and RWH maintenance systems for farms and PINL.

Project Activities

Grenada

• Conduct consultations and identify the agricultural areas/farms areas vulnerable to low water supply;
• Determine the current water average supply and potential demand per farm;
• Assess farm infrastructure and identify suitable locations for water collection and storage area per farm;
• Design suitable RWH solutions for targeted farms;
• Install RWH systems for farms;
• Conduct RWH system tests and rectify any faults identified;
• Develop water quality testing and RWH maintenance plans for the farms in Grenada where the RWH systems were installed; and
• Conduct a training with farm workers on the operation and effective monitoring and maintenance of the RWH system.

Saint Lucia

• Conduct a structural assessment of PINL’s existing water storage infrastructure and determine retrofitting needs;
• Determine the potential water demand of the amenities that will be attached the RHW system;
• Identify suitable locations for water collection and storage on PINL;
• Design a suitable RWH solution for PINL;
• Install a RWH system for PINL;
• Conduct RWH system tests and rectify any faults identified;
• Develop water quality testing and RWH maintenance plans for PINL RWH systems; and
• Conduct a training with PINL’s maintenance personnel on the operation and effective monitoring and maintenance of the RWH system.

Project Timeline

The project will be implemented from May 2021 to February 2022.