Caribbean Development Bank approves loan for water improvement project in Dominica

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a loan of $6.1m to the government of the Commonwealth of Dominica for a project to improve water supply across the country.

In December 2009, CDB-funded technical assistance study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of the project, which will now directly benefit the residents of the country’s capital city and surrounding areas alongside providing a sustainable water supply.

Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO), a wholly state-owned company, will carry out the project work.

Under the project, DOWASCO will upgrade the water supply network, increase capacity, perform ancillary works, acquire land and provide engineering and project management services to better serve the 25,500 consumers, reported Caribbean 360.

The upgrade work will include improving the intake on the Check Hall River, building a new intake, enhancing the water network transmission and distribution system, installing distribution storage tanks, and updating Antrim treatment plant.

The project will also undertake works to implement programmes related to bulk metering and leakage detection.

Ancillary works will include construction of new access road and footpath, and building works will involve implementation of a supervisory control and data acquisition system.

Relocation and upgrade of laboratory facilities and provision of technical assistance to study water tariffs and conduct water audits will form part of the project.