At a handing-over ceremony held on September 13, 2021, the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government received a truck and water bowser from the Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) Project, being implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and National Climate Change Office (NCCO).
As part of the objective of this project, the truck and water bowser will support the ministry’s efforts to provide continuous water supply services to affected communities in times of drought and when rudimentary water systems fail. Yearly, the ministry spends approximately BZ$100,000 to purchase and deliver water to rural communities. Therefore, this truck and bowser will significantly reduce government’s cost and will greatly enhance the Ministry of Rural Transformation’s capacity to deliver safe and potable water to rural communities in times of emergencies.
The International double axel truck and 35,000-litre bowser were supplied by Belize Diesel and Equipment Limited at a cost of BZ$178,000.
The Government of Belize, with the support of its partners, is committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe potable water.
Present at the ceremony were Hon. Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation; Hon. Ramiro Ramirez, Minister of State; CEO Valentino Shal; Mr. Ian King, Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP; and Dr. Lennox Gladden, Chief Climate Change Officer.
