Abstract:
St. Kitts and Nevis currently experience several stresses on the water sector, which include: changes in the current rainfall patterns, an increase in the demand for water, and challenges with the availability and supply of water resources. The demand for water is expected to increase as the economy of St. Kitts and Nevis expands, particularly in the tourism and agriculture sectors where water requirements could double in the next 10 years. In addition, St. Kitts and Nevis, like many other small island states in the Caribbean, is vulnerable to a range of large-scale global economic and environmental shocks and stresses. These vulnerabilities are compounded by existing socioeconomic conditions such as size, high concentration of population and resources along the coast, susceptibility to a range of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, narrow and highly specialised economies and a limited natural resource base.