Building Climate Resilience into the Water and Wastewater Systems of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America (AC-CReWS)

The AC-CReWS project aims to enhance climate resilience on Ambergris Caye, Belize, by upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure and governance. The project focuses on transitioning to low-carbon systems through the installation of a 3 MW grid-tied PV system, upgrading sewage treatment to tertiary levels for reclaimed water reuse, and implementing SCADA for automated monitoring and leak detection. With a total indicative cost of USD 49.893 million, the project targets 40,000 direct beneficiaries and expects to mitigate 148,140 tCO2eq over a 30-year lifespan. It also proposes a Revolving Adaptation and Mitigation Fund Facility (RAMFF) to sustain small-scale climate initiatives.

• Ambergris Caye faces significant water insecurity and scarcity driven by climate change, specifically through sea level rise and drying effects, which are exacerbated by a rapidly growing tourism sector.
• The project's primary infrastructure goals include upgrading the San Pedro Sewage Treatment Facility to a tertiary level to produce reclaimed water for non-potable uses and expanding potable water supply via new Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants.
• To reduce the carbon footprint of water operations, the project will install a 3 MW grid-tied PV system and retrofit strategic pumps with solar panels.
• The project will implement Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and smart meters to improve operational efficiency, leak detection, and revenue collection.
• The project aims to mitigate 148,140 tCO2eq over its 30-year lifespan and provide direct benefits to approximately 40,000 vulnerable people.
• A new financial mechanism called the Revolving Adaptation and Mitigation Fund Facility (RAMFF) will be established to provide funding for small and medium-scale climate initiatives using savings or revenue from project activities.
• The total indicative cost of the project is USD 49.893 million, with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) requested to provide USD 42.831 million as a grant, and the Government of Belize/BWS contributing USD 7.062 million.
• Current wastewater management on Ambergris Caye is inadequate, with many residents relying on septic systems and reports of illegal raw sewage dumping, particularly in the north of the island.
• Belize's water governance is hindered by outdated legislation, with key documents like the National Integrated Water Resources Policy dating back to 2008-2010 and lacking integration of the water-energy nexus.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Building Climate Resilience into the Water and Wastewater Systems of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America (AC-CReWS). https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29700-building-climate-resilience-water-and-wastewater-systems-ambergris-caye-belize-central-america.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Building Climate Resilience into the Water and Wastewater Systems of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America (AC-CReWS). 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29700-building-climate-resilience-water-and-wastewater-systems-ambergris-caye-belize-central-america.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Building Climate Resilience into the Water and Wastewater Systems of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America (AC-CReWS) |date=17 July 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29700-building-climate-resilience-water-and-wastewater-systems-ambergris-caye-belize-central-america.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023building, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Building Climate Resilience into the Water and Wastewater Systems of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America (AC-CReWS)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29700-building-climate-resilience-water-and-wastewater-systems-ambergris-caye-belize-central-america.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }