NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (November 12, 2026)- The Republic of China (Taiwan) is providing financial assistance to the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) to support the replacement and upgrading of water meters across Nevis, as part of ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the island’s water distribution and management system.
The assistance was formalised during a ceremony held in the NIA Cabinet Room today, where His Excellency Edward Ling-Wen Tao, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, presented a cheque to Premier of Nevis Honourable Mark Brantley and Minister responsible for Water Services Honourable Spencer Brand.
Premier Brantley said the initiative was aimed at improving the efficiency of the island’s water distribution system and ensuring the sustainable management of this critical resource, so that an adequate supply remains available to the people of Nevis.
“We’ve just gone through a very rough few months in terms of drought and we are very pleased in Nevis we had no water issues, but part of that is trying to get people to pay for water. And part of getting them to pay is to have accurate metres so that we can measure what they use, and we can seek to ensure that they pay for the water that they consume, so the metres are going to be critical.
“So, I just wanted to express my gratitude and the gratitude of the Nevis Island Administration,” he said, while commending Minister Brand and his team for their work in managing the island’s water resources.
Minister Brand also expressed appreciation to the Ambassador, the Taiwanese Government and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their timely and generous assistance. He explained that the funding would support the replacement of ageing, leaking meters as well as help meet the demand for new meters to accommodate additional connections.
“On the island of Nevis the construction sector is expanding rapidly and yes, we also want to make sure that what we charge the customers for is what is accurately consumed. We have a number of metres that have perhaps passed their sell-by date; they are working, but we feel that they can be a bit more efficient. So we reached out and you have responded in the positive and we just wanted to say thank you.
“I believe that this will now position us to be able to perhaps generate a bit more revenue on the water collection side here on the island, so I just wanted to place on record my sincere thanks and that of the entire Water Department and the people of Nevis for your generosity.”
Ambassador Tao highlighted the longstanding relationship and cooperation between Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis, reaffirming his country’s commitment to supporting the Federation’s development. He noted the importance of water conservation, particularly in light of the challenges posed by climate change.
“On behalf of the Embassy, we want to, as always, work with Nevis and the Federation to support sustainable development. The conservation of water is always very, very important not only in Nevis, also in Taiwan, so for the past few years we in Taiwan, my government, has also been working very hard to conserve the water due to the climate change issues.
“So, we are very, very honoured to be able to partner with the Nevis Island Administration and to support the initiative for you to have more water metres installed.”
Also present at the ceremony were Denzil Stanley, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry responsible for Water Services, and Santonnya Mills, Water Services Manager.
