World Water Day 2025
World Water Day is being recognized on March 22 and DOWASCO joins the global community in celebrating the importance of water and the need for sustainable water management.
This year’s World Water Day theme focuses on the preservation of glaciers, which are essential freshwater reservoirs for many communities around the world. Though Dominica does not have glaciers, the rapid melting of these glaciers due to rising global temperatures is contributing to sea level rise – an issue that is of increasing concern to small island developing states (SIDS) like ours.
While Dominica does not directly rely on glaciers, we are not immune to the global impact of environmental changes. Rising sea levels pose a significant threat to our coastal communities, freshwater resources, and delicate ecosystems. As such, DOWASCO emphasizes that actions taken in one part of the world can have far-reaching consequences, including here in the Caribbean.
The preservation of our natural environment, including the protection of water resources, is critical to our long-term sustainability.
Water Access Charge
The Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO) is a registered company wholly owned by the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and has the mandate to provide potable drinking water and sewerage services. The company was established by an Act of Parliament – Water and Sewerage Act#17 and incorporated in 1989.
As the water authority, DOWASCO has the right to recover adequate rates for its services. The last comprehensive Tariff Study carried out for DOWASCO was in 1998 and its last tariff increase was in 2011.
Over the past two decades, the company’s cost structure has evolved, necessitating consideration of future operational resilience following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Recognizing this imperative, DOWASCO identified the necessity for a thorough service costing and tariff-setting initiative, thus launching the Cost of Services (CoS) and Tariff Study in 2018. The Service and Tariff study for DOWASCO conducted by World Water and Wastewater Solutions LTD (WWWS) was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The study was the Technical Assistance component of the Water Area 1 Upgrade Project.
Following the review of a range of proposals and scenarios from DOWASCO to justify the need to increase the tariffs for its services, the Government of Dominica has approved a Water Access Charge which will incur a flat monthly rate to customers (depending on their category).
These charges are in addition to the customers’ regular tariffs. The charge will be added to the consumption charge.
These charges take effect June 1, 2024.