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Regulatory framework

  • A law to promote the conservation and maintenance of the environment in the interest of health, for adequate sanitation in matters of food and beverages and, in general, for the provision and control of services, activities and other matters related thereto or incidental to it.

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  • An act to establish the ministry of the environment to oversee the integrity of the environment of the Bahamas, to make the minister responsible therefor a single corporation, to establish the environmental management fund and the environmental trust fund and matters related thereto.

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  • Law that regulates the construction, renovation and repair of buildings, provides for the rehabilitation or elimination of dangerous or ruinous buildings, authorizes the publication of a building code and establishes provisions in this regard.

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  • Law for the conservation and control of forests and related matters.

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  • The Water and Sewerage Corporation Law is a law to establish a Water and Sewerage Corporation for the granting and control of water rights, the protection of water resources, the regulation of the extraction, use and supply of water, wastewater disposal and for related purposes.

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Institutional Framework

  • On July 14, 1976, the Water & Sewerage Corporation (W&SC) was created by the Government to manage the water supply of The Bahamas. It is responsible for the control, protection and use of the water supply throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Additionally, to help meet growing demand, barge transportation was introduced as an innovative means of supplying water to New Providence from the Andros well fields.

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  • Vision Statement: The optimal level of health and well-being of all residents of The Bahamas is supported by a climate change and health projects department.

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  • Plan and produce quality services that protect, improve, provide and maintain the physical infrastructure and natural environment of The Bahamas for its residents and visitors, serving its client agencies.

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  • The mandate of the Ministry is to implement, supervise, review and evaluate its policies and work programs for the development of the Departments of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Cooperative Development in order to ensure compliance with the general goals and objectives of the Government.

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The Bahamas has a serious water pollution problem. New Providence is the most populated island in the Bahamas and uses about eleven million gallons of groundwater per day. New Providences water loss is estimated at fifty-three percent. Rainwater is rarely used because it supplies only three percent of the water. The population of the Bahamas is currently 399,928. Its government is a parliamentary democracy.The main crops grown in the Bahamas are okra, onions and tomatoes. The crops that the Bahamas exports are grapefruit, oranges and cucumber.The Bahamas is at great risk from natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and tropical storms.Agriculture does not have an impact on New Providence because the demand for water for irrigation is negligible. Agriculture does not have an impact because of the humid temperatures and because the Bahamas has a huge water pollution problem.

Bahamas

Links of interest:

The Bahamas has not been able to meet the water demand of its population since the 1970s. Total water withdrawals were thirty-one million in 2013. The Bahamas does not have large bodies of fresh water to meet water needs. They rely on freshwater lenses. A freshwater lens is a convex layer of fresh groundwater floating on top of dense saltwater; however, in the Bahamas, these sources have become contaminated due to septic tanks, soakaways, and pit latrines. Freshwater is very vulnerable and surface freshwater is non-existent.
to meet your water needs. They depend on freshwater lenses.

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