The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

RBC Royal Bank yesterday awarded $75,000 to the College of the Bahamas to fund research and awareness initiatives related to the preservation of fresh water resources in the country.

The grant proposal submitted by COB’s School of Chemistry, Environmental and Life Sciences was the only project selected from the region this year, according to officials as the global company marked its fifth annual Blue Water Day.

In addition to research, COB’s Water Project seeks to embark on a national public awareness campaign, lecture series and fair.

The funding is part of RBC’s ten year, $50 million global initiative called the Blue Water Project, which seeks to increase access to fresh water and promote conservation and preservation around the world.

Acting COB president Dr Earla Carey-Baines underscored the critical relevance of the initiative given the dramatic growth of the tourism industry over the past two decades.

She said: “Preservation and conservation of our fresh water resources is an important area for concern for The Bahamas, especially within the hotel and tourism industry.

The dramatic growth in tourism over the past two decades has resulted in rapidly increasing demand for fresh water, even as the supply continues to decrease. The COB’s Water Initiative is designed to draw attention to this issue and to help formulate policy solutions to safeguard freshwater supplies for the city now and for the future.”