Kralendijk / Bali, May 27th , 2024 – “The way Bonaire, as such a small community, handles water management is an inspiring example for the world,” stated moderator Mrs.Grizelda Santos at the High-Level Panel of the 10th World Water Forum. This following the presentation by Joanne Balentien-Nicastia, the Chief Financial Officer of Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire (WEB ). Mrs. Balentien-Nicastia stepped in for BES envoy Mr. Edison Rijna, who couldn’t travel to Bali, Indonesia, due to the SIDS conference in Antigua.
The World Water Forum, held from May 18 to 25, 2024, focused on integrated water management to ensure sufficient water and sanitation facilities amidst growing demand, provide food and energy security, and address climate change with prolonged droughts, abundant rainfall, and rising sea levels. The Dutch delegation was led by water envoy Mrs. Meike van Ginneken.
“In my presentation, I addressed the challenges of a small island where we needed to find solutions to be self-sufficient in an isolated environment. As early as the 1990s, with the World Wildlife Fund’s research, the first step was taken with the wastewater treatment plant, which is now managed by WEB. Measurements showed a clear positive effect on the seawater quality along the coast, which is good news for the coral and marine fauna. We treated wastewater into irrigation water and supplied it to hotels for irrigation and to the LVV service for local food production.”
An additional effect was that the water WEB pumped from the sea to produce drinking water remained clean, so no chemicals were needed for adequate purification. This means that the residual water, discharged back into the sea is pure saltwater. “The entire process is efficient, safe, and sustainable. The next step is to make the electricity needed to make drinking water even more sustainable by increasing the supply of wind and solar energy towards 70 to 80% in the coming years.”
In her presentation, Mrs. Balentien-Nicastia acknowledged that improvements in water management were still possible. “The concept of Circular Water ,where water is reused as often as possible should become more prominent. It would be beneficial for the island to invest in rainwater harvesting to prevent flooding. This rainwater is also beneficial for soil improvement and agriculture. For this, a well-functioning dam system and soil water policy are needed. Good initiatives have been taken with, for example, previous studies by Dutch Water Authorities and recent groundwater measurements. All this can be strengthened with strong partnerships for success.”
“Important contacts have been further strengthened with Water Authorities and other structures to share knowledge and collaborate. I have also gained a lot of knowledge here. For example, Saudi Arabia uses models and artificial intelligence to align the water needs for agricultural crops and water production from various sources. I will take all this back from Bali to in order to continue to work with the government of Bonaire on better water management.”
WEB Chief Financial Officer, Mrs.Joanne Balentien-Nicastia with water envoy Mrs.Meike van Ginneken (center) and Dijkgraaf Mrs. Luzette Kroon of the Wetterskip Fryslân.
WEB Chief Financial Officer, Mrs.Joanne Balentien-Nicastia (second from the right on stage) during the panel discussion.
