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Summary
of discussion on the export of spring water from St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, Caribbean
Date of discussions: Sep-Nov 2003
Number of persons on distribution list: 14,000
Number of substantive responses = 27
Main
issue
Should spring water from a small island (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
be bottled and exported?
44%
of the responses supported the view that a small island should
export its water resources provided local needs are met first
and there is full consultation with resource owners
Related
points included:
- cost benefit
analysis should be conducted to ensure the country benefits
in the long term
- resource
owners and investors have different expectations
- profits
from water export be used for improving national water distribution
systems
- need to
protect water sources
22%
of the responses were of the view that a small island should not
export its water resources
Related
points included:
- water
is a priceless commodity and needed for the future
- export
provides more benefit for foreign investors than host country
- small
island reservoirs are too small to consider export
34%
of the responses discussed other issues, which included:
- support
for exporting to those who do not have water resources
- spiritual
and traditional view of land and water resources
- use of
island water resources for tourism purposes while local residents
are deprived of water
- need to
conserve water reserves such as wetlands
- ways to
reduce water usage
- lack of
political will to manage water resources
- plastic
bottles filling up landfills
- islands
have the option to sell their natural resources for profit
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