Caribbean Water Operators provide absolutely essential services across the region. But they are so down-to-earth and close to the
ground that they often go un-noticed. Remembered mainly in cases of emergency, they fix the nation’s water problems so quickly and
efficiently. They come and go in communities affected by water problems and quickly fix pipes and fittings to restore the flow of this
important source, without any waste of time – or water. The region’s water operators are accustomed to going hardly noticed. But they
were recently again reminded of their prime place in the water sector – at the very top. CAWASA Executive Director Ignatius Jean told
them at a recent Caribbean Water Operators at the CAWASA Water Operators Conference in Grenada that they are as important as Hydrogen
and Oxygen in the region’s water equation (See Page 5). Indeed, Dominica benefitted from emergency support from restoration
services provided by local and regional water operators, including teams sent from Antigua and Barbuda (See Page 3) and Trinidad and
Tobago (Story on Page 13). Similarly, in the quarter under review in this issue, the region’s water operators reviewed the main challenges
and prospects for water across the region and expressed optimism about their achievements in 2015 during their August meeting at Key
Biscayne (Stories on Pages 4 and 5). In photo above, a water operator from Antigua and Barbuda’s Antigua Public Utilities Authority
(APUA) takes a break for a snapshot while helping restore water to Dominica following the havoc wreaked on the island’s water system
by Tropical Storm Erika. Now, water services have been largely restored, with clean water flowing through most taps once again!
