Antigua and Barbuda has moved to explore a new approach to water conservation, signing an agreement with Japanese company WATO to introduce household water recycling systems that officials say could help ease pressure on the nation’s water supply during prolonged drought conditions.
The agreement was signed last week at the Office of the Prime Minister by Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas, Japanese Ambassador Yusuke Miyasaka and representatives of WATO.
Nicholas said the country continues to face significant challenges from drought, resulting in increased dependence on desalination plants as traditional water sources produce lower yields.
“Water, as we know, is a precious commodity, so whatever we can do in terms of recycling water and being conservative with the use of this scarce and expensive resource is going to receive significant attention from APUA,” Nicholas said. “This is where our relationship with WATO becomes extremely important.”
According to the minister, WATO has spent the past year working with engineers from the Antigua Public Utilities Authority to demonstrate technology capable of treating household grey water and converting it into potable water that meets World Health Organization standards.
Nicholas said the system can recover and recycle up to 60 percent of the water used in a household, reducing waste and lowering overall demand on public supplies.
“This facility has the ability to recycle water and produce potable water to WHO standards, which is a unique situation,” he said. “It allows us to retain a significant portion of the water that would otherwise be wasted.”
He said the technology offers both environmental and practical benefits by encouraging more sustainable water management practices among homeowners.
The minister also suggested the initiative could have wider regional applications, noting that several Caribbean countries are grappling with similar drought-related challenges and water shortages.
“I anticipate that this system, once it delivers in the manner that we all know it can, there will be opportunities elsewhere in the region for these products and we will see increased demand from around the Caribbean,” Nicholas said.
WATO has already established demonstration units at its Friars Hill Road facility where members of the public can view the technology. A system has also been installed at a private residence as part of an ongoing assessment of its performance under local conditions.
Nicholas said he has personally sampled the recycled water and found it indistinguishable from commercially available drinking water.
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