St Kitts and Nevis closer to US $40M grant

ST KITTS AND NEVIS IS CLOSER TO RECEIVING A US $40M GREEN CLIMATE FUND (GCF) GRANT to transform its water supply system into a low-carbon, climate-resilient sector, Environment and Climate Action Minister, Dr. Joyelle Clarke, announced recently.

“St. Kitts and Nevis received its fifth Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Support, and this is to support our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). We have reached the furthest we have ever reached in terms of GCF Grants, and we are now much closer to accessing our US $40M Grant for our TransWater Project,” Dr. Clarke said.

Her ministry, Clarke said, is set to assist other ministries.

“We at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development recognize that we are uniquely poised to support critical ministries – environment, water, energy, tourism, education, and, of course, we continue doing so with the support of the Ministry of Finance,” she explained.

The minister thanked all for their “continued support in mobilising the ministry to adapt and move forward with the government’s agenda for our transformation to a sustainable island state.”
The TransWater Project is a cross-cutting climate-resilient development project that is the first of its kind in the water sector in the Federation.

It noted the project seeks to reduce the Federation’s carbon footprint, and increase climate resilience and sustainability for the water supply sector. It also prioritises, and directly and tangibly supports the implementation of outputs and activities from five of six investment programmes identified in the Water Adaptation Plan.
Further, it was noted that it aims to implement soft and hard measures to transition the water sector by strengthening the enabling environment at the national and institutional levels; reduce non-revenue water (NRW); and mainstream low-carbon, climate-resilient water supply systems at national and community levels.
The GCF grant financing will facilitate mainstreaming low carbon, climate-resilient water supply systems and will strengthen capacity for their management by the Water Services Department, Nevis Water Department, SKELEC (St Kitts Electricity Company) and NEVLEC (Nevis Electricity Company), as well as improve population knowledge on the capacity for climate resilient WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene).

This initiative has the potential to normalise climate-smart approaches to water supply and water-demand management and create a paradigm shift toward low-emission and climate-resilient development, Minister Clarke explained.