Members of the Lower House have approved a bill to establish a National Water Resources Management Unit within the Ministry of Public Utilities, making significant amendments to the National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) Act and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) Act.
The changes will transfer the management of Grenada’s water resources from NAWASA to the new Water Resources Management Unit, while also strengthening the regulatory powers of the PURC over the sector.
Leader of Government Business, Health Minister Phillip Telesford, said that the amendment to the PURC legislation seeks to provide an institutional framework for the sustainable management, conservation, development use and regulation of water resources in Grenada.
It grants the Commission greater authority in overseeing water resource management.
A major amendment made to the legislation involves the repeal and replacement of Section 32 of the PURC Act, which governs appeals.
The revised provision outlines detailed procedures for handling appeals and grants the Appeals Tribunal the authority to dismiss an appeal and uphold the original decision, as well as allow an appeal and overturn the decision, modify the decision, order the matter to be re-evaluated by the Water Resources Management Unit or the Minister.
According to Minister Telesford, the amendment empowers the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission to “provide regulatory oversight to the unit in its management of Grenada’s water resources.”
“It also establishes a tribunal for persons who are aggrieved by any decision concerning the grant, refusal, or conditions attached to an appeal,” he told the Lower House.
Another key change is the expansion of the Commission’s composition from a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) members to a new range of five (5) to seven (7).
Additionally, the qualifications for Commissioners will now include expertise in environmental science management to ensure more effective oversight.
The senior government minister explained that the long term goal is to be able to effectively conserve water in both the wet and dry seasons.
This amendment, he said, was made in direct response to calls from the general public for the “government and NAWASA to do more to conserve and ensure an even distribution of water resources so that in the dry season we have sufficient water to service the population.”
Amendments to the NAWASA Act were also approved to align with the new water management framework.
Once the Water Resources Management and Regulation Act takes effect, NAWASA will no longer have responsibility for managing the country’s water resources.
That function will instead be transferred to the newly created unit within the Ministry of Public Utilities.
This legislative shift represents a significant restructuring of Grenada’s water management system, ensuring that regulation, oversight, and environmental considerations are more effectively integrated into national policy.
The bill now moves to the Upper House for further consideration.
