BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Kitts Water Department is summoning “all hands on deck” in conserving water as it prepares for the possibility of the Federation experiencing a drought within upcoming months.
On February 11, 2010, that department issued a press release which informed that “St. Kitts and Nevis is among regional territories from Jamaica in the North to Venezuela in the South that are experiencing a dry spell”.
The release further informed that, specifically on the island of St. Kitts, the “dry spell” is owing to the decline in rainfall.
Engineer of Operations at the St. Kitts Water Department, Dennison Paul said in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes that prior to the heavy rains which fell on parts of St. Kitts two nights ago, only 0.02 inches of rain was recorded for the month of February as compared with 1.95 inches for the same period last year.
“We are trying to be proactive. Our situation is not as bad as some of the islands where rationing has started. We might get there eventually but in the meanwhile, we are asking people to check their premises for leaks and to repair them immediately if such leaks are found. We are asking that persons report any suspected leaks to the Water Services Department. Our numbers are 466-3070 or 466-1467. We admonish consumers to avoid the use of hoses and sprinklers to water lawns, avoid the use of hoses of wash vehicles and buildings. That can be done out of a bucket with a rag. We advise the public to generally monitor the use of water and to be as conservative as practicable.”
Despite the issuance of a press release/advisory which speaks to these measures and the airing of public-service announcements in the local media, Paul said the Water Department continues to be bombarded with complaints from members of the public concerning the “wanton misuse of our water supply”.
Paul visited one of the water intakes located in the Challengers/Old Road area recently and, as he explained, in all his 25 years of experience in the Water Department he has never seen the water level as low as it is during this time of the year.
Just days ago, St. Lucia’s government officially declared water emergency and is seeking to implement strict measures to deal with the crisis. Paul said the local situation has not yet reached that stage and while it is likely that it would get to that point, the Department is employing and encouraging proactivity to tackle the issue.
“We have not gotten to that point, that is why I am saying we are being proactive, and so we are preparing for that eventuality but we are hoping that it would not get to that. But the projections are that it very well might get to that, so we are preparing for that…
“Eventually, what is going to happen is that residents, particularly those in the higher elevation, for example in the Village area, Frigate Bay…would suffer first but eventually, significant proportions of our population are going to be out of water. In fact, just last weekend the Cedar Grove area was out of water and so the higher elevation would suffer first.
“What that means is that we would have to institute rationing of the water; meaning that certain sections of the island get their water maybe from six to four, another section gets from four to midnight. So we would have to ration water so you would not be guaranteed a 24-hour supply.”
The Engineer suggested that there are other measures which the law permits the Water Department to take, should persons continue their wanton use of the water supply.
“There are other measures. We do not want to use any draconian measures but there are measures within the law where persons can be fined. We have the authority at the Water Services Department to disconnect supplies when we have evidence to prove that people are wasting the water, and so the backing is there in terms of the law. But we are using this opportunity to educate our people and encourage them to use their good senses so that we do not get to a situation where we have to ration.”
According to projections, Paul explained, the current pattern is expected to continue until the end of the “dry season” which usually falls in May.
