The IDB has contracted K&M to provide a report for publication on water utilities in the Caribbean. This report will include benchmarking the key operational and financial indicators for water utilities in the Caribbean, exploring the scope of benefits from implementing Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction projects, assessing the impact on COVID-19, and identifying levels of resilience to natural disasters. This report will also provide recommendation to governments and water utilities on actions they can take to improve performance and resiliency of water utilities. K&M will: • Benchmark the operational and financial performance of water utilities in the Caribbean. This will also include benchmarking access to water and sanitation, quality of service, operating efficiency, and affordability of tariffs.
• Complementing the work IDB has recently been doing to assist water utilities in the Caribbean with reducing NRW, we will highlight utilities that have had success in reducing NRW (for example, NWC in Jamaica, BWS in Belize, and WSC in The Bahamas) and show how that success has contributed to improved operational and financial performance.
• Describe the impact of COVID-19 has had on water utilities in the Caribbean, including an assessment of the impact on demand, revenues, collections, operating expenses, and liquidity.
• Detail the physical and monetary damages that water utilities in the Caribbean have incurred from natural disasters in recent years.
• Provide recommendation to governments and water utilities on actions they can take to improve performance and resiliency of water utilities.