Summary
This second year of the CARIWIN project jump-started two major initiatives which will provide politicians and planners with tools for decision-making: the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network and the Grenada National Water Information System. Also, CARIWIN delivered two practical hydrometeorological training sessions for technicians in the CARIWIN partner countries (Grenada and Guyana), and an IWRM training session in Canada for CIMH personnel.
Research work was completed on gender equality issues related to water use and accessibility in Barbados. Research work was also undertaken this year in point-of-use water treatment systems in Guyana, as well as drought indices in Jamaica.
IWRM Training in Canada for CIMH staff
Montreal, Canada
June 1-14, 2008
The Brace Centre for Water Resources Management hosted two staff members of the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) for two weeks in June 2008, as part of a training course in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Hydrologists and meteorologists from CIMH were offered the opportunity to learn through a combination of presentations, field tours and workshops.
Grenada Equipment Installation and Training Course
Grenada
June 18 to 22, 2008
Participants from the Grenada Ministry of Agriculture, National Water and Sewerage Authority, Point Salines International Airport Meteorological Office, and the Caribbean Youth Environmental Network benefited from practical sessions related to the installation of the CARIWIN stream gauging and rainfall monitoring equipment in the Great River watershed. Topics covered during the course included: water level measurements, reference marks, cross-sections, flow measurements, rating curves, levels and levelling, uses of hydrological data, and practical exercises in the calculation of river flows.
Grenada National Water Information System Workshop at the Caribbean Environmental Forum
St-George's University, Grenada
June 24-25, 2008
The Grenada National Water Information System Workshop was held at St George’s University in Grenada on June 23 and 24, 2008. It was hosted during the 4th Caribbean Environmental Forum. Background information to the CARIWIN project was provided and the context was set for the pertinence of a National Water Information System (NWIS) for Grenada. The workshop was an opportunity for data collectors, data users and stakeholders to meet and engage in the early phases of development of the Grenada NWIS.
Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network
In the first year of the CARIWIN project, during one of the short courses given on IWRM involving water managers, and senior administrators from each of the three partner governments, dynamic roundtable discussions revealed a collective need for information products that facilitate the incorporation of climate risk management into decision-making. As a solution, the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPMN) was proposed.
CARIWIN Hydrometric Equipment Installation and Training Course
Guyana
November 16-29, 2008
This short course was co-delivered by CIMH and the Guyana Hydrometeorological Service. Topics included river level measurements using staff gauges and water level recorders; relationship between river level and river flow and the rating curve; Installation of hydrometric equipment; practical exercises in river flow measurement and cross-section surveys.
Procurement of rainfall and water level instrumentation
In 2008, CARIWIN procured instrumentation for monitoring water level and rainfall in the pilot communities of Grenada, Guyana and Jamaica.