Wednesday, October 15, 2025

DOE Advances Revision of the National Wastewater Policy

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Press Release, Belmopan, Belize. June 3rd, 2025. The Department of the Environment (DOE), within the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Solid Waste Management, hosted a stakeholder meeting today to update Belize’s National Wastewater Policy. The meeting includes partners from the government, private sector, academia, and civil society, all working together to improve wastewater management and environmental health in Belize.
Inadequate treatment and disposal of wastewater pose serious risks to public health and critical ecosystems, particularly by polluting groundwater, rivers, and coastal areas. While progress has been made, Belize continues to face significant challenges. For example, as the population grows, there will be a greater demand for clean water and a higher risk of untreated water being released into the environment. The revised policy will address these issues and will be updated to include industrial and agricultural wastewater management, as well as climate adaptation measures aligned with national and international standards.
The meeting is a vital step in ensuring the updated policy is grounded in the realities faced by communities and key sectors across Belize. By bringing together diverse perspectives from regulatory bodies and industry stakeholders, it fosters meaningful collaboration and helps identify practical, forward-looking solutions. The DOE remains committed to an inclusive process that results in a policy framework that is both effective and adaptable to Belize’s evolving environmental challenges.
The National Wastewater Policy is especially significant because it will provide measures for the protection of our main sources of drinking water, which are our rivers and wells. Most importantly, it will protect human health from the various waterborne diseases caused by polluted waters.

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