18th
Feburary 2010
Water Shortage
- What is being Done?
In
this time of severe water shortage the country’s
lone water and sewerage Company, WASCO, and
the Ministry of Public Utilities should be preaching
and practising a water conservation culture.
This educational programme should not be the
usual announcement of when and where water will
be taken and restored but a programme where
customers and households are spoken to as to
how best they could, or what they should be
doing to conserve water.
This educational programme has to be ongoing
and widespread to the extent that water conservation
becomes second nature to Saint Lucians.
While the country has experienced drought situations
before, the one presently underway seems to
be shaping up to be more severe than ever because
places not known to be without water for more
than 24 hours cannot now boast of such a feat.
We are aware of a list highlighting water conversation
tips being e-mailed, The VOICE getting into
the action just a few days ago published such
a list, but the authorities under which the
management of the country’s water resources
fall have yet to really go on the offensive
in sermonizing or aggressively advocating water
management.
The entire Caribbean is being severely affected
by the drought. From Guyana to the South to
Jamaica in the North, and all points between
assertive actions are being undertaken by the
respective governments.
In Barbados comes the news that this country’s
water authority will be embarking on an educational
programme to get customers to engage in the
most productive efforts at water conservation.
Drought conditions in Guyana are threatening
to cause billions of dollars in damage to the
agricultural sector and officials say they’re
doing all they can to, at least, limit the losses.
In Trinidad, water police officers have been
deployed to ensure that consumers adhere to
the new measures regarding water conservation
while in Jamaica, water rationing has become
the order of the day.
The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA)
has become the latest Caribbean country to announce
plans for a water rationing system until there
is a significant increase in rainfall.
’As Antigua and Barbuda enters further
into a drought, APUA has seen a depletion of
the surface water resources that it relies heavily
on,’ it said in a statement.
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