The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) continues to support the Government of Belize in providing water, sanitation and health facilities to communities where these amenities were not readily accessible.  Two water and sanitation sub-projects funded by CDB, which will provide more than 1,000 villagers in two communities with access to potable water, were inaugurated on July 20, 2017.

The new solar energy-powered water systems will ensure that the men, women and children of Pueblo Viejo Village and Conejo Creek Village have access to a supply of safe water to meet their daily needs such as cooking, drinking, bathing and washing.

These systems will also contribute significantly to the reduction in the vulnerability of the villagers to water-borne, food-borne, vector-borne and communicable diseases; thus improving the quality of life of over 141 families.

Prior to the rehabilitation of Pueblo Viejo Village and Conejo Village  Water Systems, residents from both villages experienced challenges to access safe potable water and obtained water from creeks, vats, hand-pumps and wells that often ran empty in the dry season.

The sub-project for the Pueblo Viejo Village Water System included the rehabilitation of an existing 13,500 gallon capacity tank structure that had become inoperable; construction of a new pump house and a perimeter fence; and installation of a solar power system and a diesel-powered stand-by generator, which will serve as a backup to provide electricity to the pump house and controls.

Work done on the Conejo Creek Water System included the construction of an elevated steel frame structure to support four 2,640-gallon water tanks with all required piping and accessories, a pump house and a fence, a submersible solar water pump and chlorinator, and a solar panel array to provide electricity to the pump house and controls. The water tank was constructed at the highest point in the village, thus water will be gravity fed to homes.

The water projects were implemented by Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF), an implementing agency of the Government of Belize. BSIF has also provided training to members of both Pueblo Viejo and Conejo Village Water Boards and Village Councils on how to manage and operate the solar energy water systems, water chlorination, meter repairs and basic accounting facilitated by the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development.

Funding for the water systems came through a grant of USD744,000 under the CDB’s Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) Programme.