Public Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas says Antigua and Barbuda ranks among the top-performing countries in CARICOM for water production and distribution, despite ongoing challenges linked to drought and aging infrastructure.

Speaking Tuesday night on Pointe FM’s Taking Stock programme, Nicholas said regional agencies and development institutions have recognized Antigua’s progress in water management, particularly in desalination and system reliability.

“Antigua ranks with Barbados and Belize as the three best in class in terms of the entire CARICOM region,” Nicholas said during a discussion on water scarcity and infrastructure development.

The minister said water challenges are affecting countries across the Caribbean, including nations with significant freshwater resources.

He pointed to Guyana and Jamaica as examples of countries facing major distribution and treatment difficulties despite having rivers and groundwater sources.

“Jamaica has a very high water loss rate, probably the highest in CARICOM,” Nicholas said, adding that only about 70 percent of Jamaica’s residential population has access to potable water.

Nicholas said Antigua’s position has been strengthened through major investments in reverse osmosis plants, groundwater harvesting and transmission upgrades.

He said Antigua’s daily water production has risen sharply in recent years and now exceeds 11 million gallons per day, supported by facilities at Barnacle Point, Fryes and Crabs.

The minister also referenced discussions with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), which recently examined water scarcity issues throughout the region during meetings in Barbados.

According to Nicholas, regional agencies have acknowledged that Antigua is making progress despite dealing with old cast-iron pipelines, non-revenue water losses and rising demand from tourism and housing developments.

He said the government’s current focus is on improving resilience within the network by separating high-pressure transmission systems from lower-pressure distribution lines, upgrading storage capacity and modernizing system controls through a SCADA monitoring system.

Nicholas stressed that Antigua is “not alone in this endeavor,” noting that countries such as Barbados and St. Lucia are also battling drought conditions and deteriorating infrastructure.

Still, he maintained that Antigua remains ahead of many regional counterparts because of aggressive investment in desalination and network improvements.