BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – UTILITIES Minister the Hon. Ian Liburd said in Parliament this morning (Sept. 15) that the ongoing water shortage issue which St. Kitts has been experiencing for the past months demands that additional water supplies be developed with immediacy.
Minister Liburd, indicating that some 5.5M gallons of water is produced and or used daily on St. Kitts, said while work has been done to promote water conservation, additional efforts need to be employed.
Ongoing efforts, he informed, include the launching of a public awareness campaign, discontinuing the sale of water to cruise vessels visiting our shores, the hosting of a consultation and the implementation of demand management measures.
And a US$5M project which would see the addition of some 2,000,000 gallons of water added to the island’s current water-production capacity by 2016 is underway.
Minister Liburd informed that consultants would be recruited and already, Ocean Earth Technologies has been contacted in that regard. That organization conducted a study of and submitted a report on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer in 2009 warning against the dewatering of the asset.
Suggesting that the former administration’s response to the report was inadequate, Minister Liburd said “they did nothing. That’s the point I’m making…”
Reference was made to other Caribbean territories, by Minister Liburd in his presentation, which have also been experiencing water shortage and he suggested that response to the issue should be high on the region’s agenda.
“We as a region must expend more efforts towards adapting a more integrated approach to water resources management and pollution prevention. The region must take a more comprehensive approach to integrative water resources management. This approach…can only help to reduce the water and sanitation problems that exist throughout the Caribbean region.
“Given our vulnerability…within the region, we all must be more concerned about water security, we must examine better means and methods of water production. Issues of water have become an extremely pressing regional threat which must be expeditiously addressed.”
While making no commitment to the adoption of desalination as a means of potable water production, Minister Liburd questioned whether or not it is time to consider this method.
“Island states that are still developing are small and notably dry…but all surrounded by sea. Should we then adapt reverse osmosis, desalination, to address some of these concerns? But we know additional water supplies must be developed and must be developed now.”
