With the Barbados Meteorological Service’s warning to brace for a hot and dry year as the worst drought since 1960 persists, the Minister responsible for water resources has given the assurance that everything possible is being done to ensure a steady water supply year-round.
Wilfred Abrahams told Barbados TODAY that he was well aware of the weather outlook for the year and that the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) was considering all mitigating options.
He said: “We are looking at every aspect of mitigation. One step is to fix all of the burst pipes, we are also trying to upgrade our pumping stations, we are looking at reusing waste water inland because all water pumped by the BWA, whether it is for washing cars or construction, is good drinking water and that does not make sense.
“So, we are also looking at introducing dual plumbing codes so that persons do not flush their toilets with potable water but instead you use rain water.”
The Minister also said that Government was exploring desalination, as the technology has become more cost-effective over the years.
Abrahams said: “Desalination is a legitimate and reasonable option and actually it is a must in the future.
“But we are not going into desalination in the same way the last Government sought to go into it.
“The people of Barbados are our constituents and we can’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars for a solution that could be obtained cheaper.
“So, the Government is exploring every single option, but it must be done in a way that makes sense to the people of Barbados.”
Last week, leading meteorologist at the Barbados Meteorological Service Sabu Best warned that if current trends continue, authorities may be forced to declare a nationwide drought.
“If the present trends continue without any significant deviation from the forecast, we will be faced with a drought condition,” he said, before indicating this was no need for citizens to panic because local authorities would do everything to prepare citizens for the threat.
Best added: “It’s not Armageddon and it has happened before, though not as significantly as it is right now.
“We can pull together and get through this, through the resources of the BWA, through their messages to the public and the Ministry of Agriculture advising the population beforehand of particular crops that we can plant. That is the way we could help mitigate that.”
Abrahams insisted that while Government does its part, citizens must play their role through the inculcation of a culture of water conservation.
He said: “Everybody would have heard the announcement last week that this is the worst drought in 60 years.
“The rain is not falling the way we would like in order to recharge the aquifers, so even if we fixed every single burst pipe and our pumping stations are functioning optimally, we would still have a problem occasioned by a lack of water.
“The Government and the Water Authority are putting measures in place to increase water into the system but until such time that these things happen, Barbadians have a role to play. We need to be responsible.”
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb
