Dry bump

The drought may well have gone from bad to worse, as weather forecasters record a continuing a dramatic slump in rainfall.

Figures from the Barbados Meteorological Services have revealed that the amount of rainfall for the year is 15 inches less than the 30-year average, posing a threat to water availability when the wet season ends on November 30.

Rainfall for the month of October – a month historically marked by heavy downpours and floods – is already more than four inches below the average, Meteorologist Wayne McGeary told Barbados TODAY.

Up to the final day of month, 78.8 mm, or approximately 3.81 inches of rain had been recorded, McGeary revealed.

But he said the 30-year average suggested that the month of October normally had 185.1 mm of rainfall.

“Basically we are about 4.09 inches below the 30-year average and that is only for the month of October,” McGeary noted.

He further revealed that the cumulative rainfall recorded for the year so far was 614.6 mm, or approximately 24.19 inches. The normal cumulative rainfall average for the same period was 1009 mm, or 39.72 inches.

McGeary said: “You can see that we are about 15 inches below the normal amount of rainfall which we receive, which is a lot of rainfall when you think about it.

“And the predictions would suggest that at least down to December we are still going to get below normal rainfall totals.”

He said the last time Barbados had experienced such low levels of rainfall
was in 2015, when only 23.09 inches of rainfall had been recorded  during the same period.

As the island moves into the dry season, the shortfall was also worrisome, said the met officer.

He explained that December and January were “transitional months” leading into the dry season which officially begins in February.

And while McGeary said he was not in a position to speak on behalf of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) as it relates to the challenges these prolonged drought conditions would have on the BWA’s ability to provide customers with water, he said it was more likely than not that the utility would be adversely affected.

Only yesterday, the BWA issued a press release stating that the “extreme drought like conditions” affecting the island was impacting on its well sources in St Lucy.

The BWA said it had resulted in less available groundwater and increased salinity in the wells supplying some St Lucy and St Peter districts as seawater begins to seep into the aquifers to fill the void left from depleted potable water supplies.

McGeary told Barbados TODAY: “Of course it would [make matters worse]. I can’t speak on BWA business, but from a rainfall standpoint, quite clearly we are well below the rainfall amounts.

“And then when the rain falls it still takes a while before it reaches the aquifers, so that is potentially why they [BWA] has to ration the water so to speak so that people can still receive water.

“It is something that we definitely have to keep  a close eye on because we are so accustomed to having constant supplies of water, but in these conditions you have to be very mindful of the water used and try not to waste water.”
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb