The Caribbean Youth Environment Network of Trinidad and Tobago (CYEN-TT) in collaboration with NALIS’ Port of Spain Young Adult library held its second youth water forum “Water and Sustainable Development in Trinidad and Tobago” at the Audio Visual Room, National Library, Port-of-Spain on March 27.

The forum was intended to increase an awareness of the importance of water and sustainable development, particularly among the youth.It provided an excellent opportunity for the exchange of information on sustainable development, planning and water sector policies, laws, regulations and case studies in Trinidad and Tobago. Topics such as Water Scarcity in the Caribbean; Sustainable Development and Water Resources; Economics of Sustainable Development and Water and Community Development in the Country were discussed.

According to CYEN-TT, Trinidad and Tobago has a fairly rich endowment of water resources. However, these water resources are experiencing rising threats to their quantity and quality. The increased use and misuse of the resources by the growing population, increased industrial activities and the threat due to seasonality and climate change have led to a situation where Trinidad and Tobago needs to rethink its options with respect to the management of its water resources.

After the forum the audience was able to connect to the NALIS Young Adult Facebook page to register their comments. The Young Adult librarian, Beverly Williams said, “Each individual has an obligation to manage water resources.”