FOURTEEN participants, including six from other Caribbean countries, have just completed a Training of Trainers Workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and are now better equipped to understand the impact of climate change on water resources in the Caribbean.

According to a press release, the four-day workshop was held at the Grand Coastal International Hotel at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara,and was aimed at improving participants’ understanding of strategic development and adaptation planning, understanding of drivers and impacts of climate change; ability to design and plan a risk assessment in dealing with the uncertainties of climate vulnerability; and understanding of uncertainties associated with climate change.
Importantly too, the workshop gave participants the opportunity to share experiences, find responses to their questions and applicable tools and mechanisms to be active advocates and participants in IWRM planning.
It is expected that each workshop participant will organise similar training sessions in their country with the help of Caribbean Water Net, the Caribbean Water Network for Action Research and Capacity Building for Integrated Water Resources Management.
The group agreed that there are actions that can be taken to prepare for a more variable climate and the most important immediate action concerns the way countries manage their water resources, particularly since improved understanding of water resources will allow more efficient and flexible allocation systems and better investment in infrastructure, both to improve access to water and reduce risks from climate change.