KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) facilitated a training workshop entitled “Advanced Techniques in Capacity Building for Wastewater Reuse: Monitoring and Analysis” for wastewater management, water resource management and environmental health professionals from the eight participating countries in Kingston, Jamaica from July 22 to 26, 2024.
The workshop was hosted in collaboration with United Nations Environment Programme Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP), and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and funded by the Global Environment Facility funded Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystem Management in Small Island Developing States (GEF-IWEco) Project.
The five-day training workshop aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to conduct sampling, effectively perform microbial and chemical wastewater tests, interpret test results and efficiently manage related laboratory activities. It also exposed participants to theoretical concepts and practical skills in good laboratory/ industry best practices for wastewater quality testing, microbiological and chemical wastewater test methods, results analysis and the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Quality Management System.
“CARPHA is pleased to partner with the OECS Commission and UNEP-CEP to deliver IWEco benefits to participating states and expresses thanks to the Global Environment Facility for funding this very important regional project that in its objective considers the climate change crisis faced by SIDS,” This activity equips regional professionals with the knowledge and skills required to adequately monitor wastewater and ultimately strengthen regional public health systems through the analysis and interpretation of wastewater data to inform wastewater reuse standards, action plans and policy development” stated Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim executive director at CARPHA.
Shane Kirton, officer-in-charge, Environmental Health and Sustainable Development (EHSD) CARPHA, and CARPHA IWEco project manager, highlighted the timeliness of this training workshop as an activity for implementation in the Roadmap of Action from the IWRM Framework, in building national capacity for wastewater managers, water resource managers and environmental health professional. “The training workshop aligns with CARPHA strategic plan and EHSD’s mandate to strengthen technical and resource capacity in environmental testing and monitoring across CARPHA Member States.”
The objectives of the workshop were to develop technical proficiency in sampling techniques for wastewater analysis; provide hands-on experience in laboratory analysis to ensure accurate and reliable data collection; educate participants on best practices for wastewater sampling, analysis, storage and transportation to maintain sample integrity and; enhance analytical skills through the interpretation of analytical data using various techniques and applications in wastewater quality assessment.
The GEF-IWEco Project is a multi-focal regional project, comprising ten participating states Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and co-implemented by United Nations Environment Programme Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP), and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission.
