CASTRIES, St Lucia – The Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA), under the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, food security and rural development, has successfully completed a capacity-building program aimed at strengthening water resource management in Saint Lucia.
This initiative was made possible through a collaborative effort with the government of the United Mexican States via the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), and facilitated by the Mexican Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID) and the Mexican Embassy in Saint Lucia.
This project was one of the first four projects which formed part of a technical and scientific program between the governments of Saint Lucia and the United Mexican States and coordinated by the office of the prime minister.
The training sessions took place virtually and spanned over a period of three years (February 2022 – July 2025).
Subject areas covered reflected the operational activities undertaken by the technical staff of the WRMA on a regular basis. This ranged from the fundamentals of hydrometeorology to weather equipment maintenance, stream discharge and water quality monitoring, modeling and environmental flow assessments and data analysis. The outcome is to enhance technical skillsets through the adoption of best practices presented by the experts of IMTA.
A total of eight staff members received training, comprised of four water resource officers, one field scientist, one water resource specialist, one information systems manager and the director of the agency.
Climate change and the subsequent consequences impact water resources in quantity and quality. Therefore, effective management of water resources requires a cadre of competent personnel to collect, analyze and produce quality information necessary for building resilience in the sector.
With a renewed sense of confidence, during the latter part of this three year period, the WRMA has increased the number of chemical parameters being monitored along various river sections. These include nitrates/nitrites, phosphates, chlorine, phosphorous and potassium. Runoff from agricultural fields poses a serious risk to water quality and therefore, the data collected will help formulate decisions that will ensure a safe water supply for our ecosystems and citizenry.
The government of Saint Lucia is confident that the WRMA and by extension the ministry of agriculture will maximize the opportunity given and that it can be the foundation for future collaboration.
The people and government of Saint Lucia express immense gratitude to the people and government of the United Mexican States, AMEXCID, IMTA and the Mexican embassy for their generous support and commitment to strengthening water resource management capacity in Saint Lucia.
