BWA warns of possible water shortages in the future

Prime Minister Mia Mottley is appealing to residents to conserve water as the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) warns that the precious commodity will get scarcer with a worsening climate crisis.

Director of Engineering at the BWA Charles Leslie told the St James Parish Speaks public forum on Tuesday night of a dire water situation ahead which is being compounded by continued reduction in rainfall as well as warmer days which result in people using more water.

“Here in Barbados, we have been getting reduced rainfall and when we do get rainfall, it comes in sharp showers and they are a lot shorter than they used to be in the past. The water that is available to us now is a lot less. The aquifers here in Barbados are unconfined…which means you don’t have anything holding the water in. So once the rain falls, it’s just a matter of time that it gets into the ground and gradually gets to the coastal environment,” he cautioned.

“The way the land is sloping, it is sloping toward the west of the island. And with predictions of increased rises in sea level and so forth, all along the west of the island we are experiencing an increase in salinity of our water resources. We have to be looking all the time at more effective ways to better utilise those resources, and to be looking for the future, because obviously as things get warmer, people are going to take more frequent showers.”

The director of engineering said that when the country looks at making itself more resilient in terms of food, that will also require water.

“Just yesterday, I was speaking with the Ministry of Agriculture about how we can facilitate them in terms of getting water to the various areas that they are working with. We have to look at how we can more effectively utilise our water,” the senior BWA official suggested.

As a follow-up to his warning, Prime Minister Mottley encouraged water conservation.

She said she is looking forward to the BWA rolling out a water-saving package that allows households to get tanks and water conservation devices.

“I am anxious for the Water Authority to roll out the package because it also creates jobs for plumbers and for other people across the country, while at the same time the cost of it is being borne by the entire country…because the households who can’t afford to do it, who are on welfare… we should do it for them,” Mottley assured.
(EJ)