It was a wonderful week of activities at the 26th Annual Caribbean Water and Waste Water Association’s Conference and Exhibition in Guyana from October 16th to 20th, 2017.
The conference was held under the theme Promoting Innovation and Creativity in Water, Wastewater and Waste” and coordinated by the Communities Ministry, the Guyana Water Inc and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association CWWA.
It brought together participants from the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and Europe and provided an opportunity for participants to exchange information and experiences, to network and to be exposed to cutting edge technology, products and services in a very dynamic event.
The Conference covered subjects such as climate change, drought management, integrated water resources management, wastewater management in rural communities, waste recycling technologies for developing countries, landfill engineering and the economics of waste management, to name a few.
Participants included experts, researchers, professionals, students, the media, private companies, development partners such as the Inter-American Development Bank (lDB), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the United Nations Environment (UNEP), the Pan American, Health Organisation (PAHO), the Caribbean Desalination Association (CaribDA), the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCccq), Caricom, among others. They had an opportunity to attend technical presentations, be exposed to new research and studies and listen to eminent panellists speak on subjects of interest.
A very significant aspect of the event was the Exhibition where over 60 exhibitors are showcasing their products and services in the water and waste sectors and interacting with utility companies and other participants, EXCELLENT NETWORKING.
On Tuesday, an important aspect of the Conference was the convening of the 13th High Level Forum of Caribbean Ministers Responsible for Water (HLF13) which brought together Ministers from all Caribbean countries, water utility managers and development partners to discuss matters of relevance to the water sector.
In addition, The First High Level Forum of Ministers responsible for Waste Management was also held. Grenada was represented by Senator Norlan Cox, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and Mrs. Karen Layne, General Manager of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority.
A very important feature which lends a fun flavour to the conference was an opportunity for participants from all over the world to enjoy the cultural and artistic aspects of the host country of Guyana. This was evident in the Cultural and Talent Night on Tuesday.
NAWASA was represented by General Manager Mr. Christopher Husbands, Manager of Transmission and Distribution Mr. Joel Thomas, Manager of Planning and Development Mr. Whyme Cox and myself Communications Supervisor Mrs. Jamila Samuel.
Mrs. Samuel was able to share on how NAWASA continues to use public education to enhance our customer experience. Her presentation focused on the successes in the area of community engagements, migration into social media platforms and the launching of a new websites as tools that enhanced the Authority’s customer experience.
The conference theme was: “Promoting Innovation and Creativity in Water, Wastewater and Waste”.
This is the first time in its 26 years that Guyana is hosting the Conference and Exhibiti
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