Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management Baseline Assessment Study on Wastewater Management Belize December 2013 Revised January 2015 Baseline Assessment Study for the GEF CReW Project: Belize December 2013 Prepared by Dr. Homero Silva Revised January 2015 CONTENTS List of Acronyms....................................................................................................................................................iii 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 2. The National Context ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Description of the Country .................................................................................................................. 4 Geographic Characteristics ................................................................................................................. 6 Economy by Sectors ............................................................................................................................ 9 The Environment .............................................................................................................................. 13 Land Use, Land Use Changes and Forestry (LULUCF) ....................................................................... 20 Disasters ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Climate Change Impacts ................................................................................................................... 25 Relevant National, Regional and International Conventions and Agreements ................................... 26 Water and Sanitation Coverage ........................................................................................................ 27 3. Methodology .................................................................................................................................................... 29 Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 31 Interviews with Key Experts .............................................................................................................. 31 4. Mathematical Model Used ........................................................................................................................... 32 Rationale for the Model ..................................................................................................................... 33 Constraints/Limitations of the Model ................................................................................................ 34 5. Overview of Wastewater Treatment and Management ................................................................... 36 Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems ....................................................................................... 37 Wastewater Reuse ............................................................................................................................ 39 Industrial Effluent Discharges............................................................................................................ 40 Tourism /Hotel Sector Wastewater Management ............................................................................. 47 Commercial and Other Institutions not Connected to Sewerage Systems ........................................ 47 Sewage Discharged into Water Bodies .............................................................................................. 50 Septage/Biosolids Management ....................................................................................................... 50 Condition of Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure .......................................................................... 51 6. Pollution Problems and Their Cost ......................................................................................................... 52 Pollution in Rivers, Lakes, Mangroves and Coastal Areas (Thermal Pollution and Nutrient Pollution) 53 Environmental Deterioration such as Toxic Algae Bloom and Destruction of Coral Reefs ................. 55 Human Shellfish and Reef Fish Poisoning .......................................................................................... 56 Water- and Food-Related Illnesses Caused by Bad Sanitation ........................................................... 57 Vector-Borne Diseases (Dengue, Malaria, Yellow Fever, etc.) ........................................................... 59 Deterioration of Bathing and Recreational Areas .............................................................................. 61 Social Impact Due to Deterioration of the Environment .................................................................... 62 Economic Impact Due to Deterioration of the Environment .............................................................. 63 Lost Opportunities Due to Deterioration of the Environment ........................................................... 68 7. National Capacity ........................................................................................................................................... 69 Existing Legislative Framework ......................................................................................................... 70 Existing Policy Framework .................................................................................................................71 Page | i Existing Institutional Framework ........................................................................................................71 8. Surveillance and Enforcement Capacity ................................................................................................ 77 9. Manpower Capacity ....................................................................................................................................... 80 Availability of Staff for Wastewater Management............................................................................. 81 National/Regional Training Needs for Wastewater Management ..................................................... 83 National/Regional Training Opportunities for Wastewater Management ......................................... 83 10. Financing ........................................................................................................................................................ 86 11. Best Practices and Innovative Technological Treatment Solutions ......................................... 89 12. Current Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices ........................................................... 91 13. Information Collection and Sharing ..................................................................................................... 94 14. Presence and Participation Level of Water and Sanitation Organizations ............................ 96 15. Climate Change Impacts ............................................................................................................................ 98 16. Summary of Major Findings ................................................................................................................... 100 Main Findings from Literature Review ............................................................................................. 101 Analysis Using Mathematical Model ............................................................................................... 103 17. Recommendations for Action ............................................................................................................... 109 References ........................................................................................................................................................... 117 Annex 1 Definition of Objectives for Areas of Focus ............................................................................ 122 Annex 2 Data used for Belize Evaluation ................................................................................................. 126 Annex 3 Results Obtained from Mathematical Model ......................................................................... 139 Annex 4 Summary of Grading of Answers (DNA of Wastewater Management) ......................... 152 Annex 5 Explanation of Significance Values used in Mathematical Model .................................. 155 Page | ii LIST OF ACRONYMS 2NC Second National Communication AAS Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer BAHA Belize Agricultural Health Authority BAL Belize Aquaculture Ltd. BCES Belize Centre for Environmental Studies BEST Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Development BHRHO Belize Human Resources for Health Observatory BNTF Basic Needs Trust Fund BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand BSI Belize Sugar Industry BSIF Belize Social Investment Fund BWS Belize Water Services Ltd. BZ Belize CAR/RCU Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit CAREC Caribbean Epidemiology Centre CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBO Community-Based Organisation CCA Chromated Cooper Arsenate CCJ Caribbean Court of Justice CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CO2 Carbon dioxide COD Chemical Oxygen Demand