Barbadians continue to waste water, and boast of taking long showers, even as some of our Caribbean neighbours can only get water two days a week.
Minister of the Environment, Water Resource Management and Drainage Denis Kellman, speaking at a church service yesterday to start mark the start of World Water Week, said that despite the serious water challenges faced by the world, Barbadians did not respect that Barbados was a water-scarce country.
“We must conserve water,” the minister said. “It is unfortunate that some people in Barbados think nothing of taking a 15-minute shower, using up more water during that shower than the typical person living in the slum of a developing country uses in a whole day.
Kellman said while he was pleased to report that 98 per cent of households in Barbados had piped water, with the remaining two per cent having access to public standpipes within a quarter mile of their homes, there was a need dire need to protect our water resources.
He said the “unsavoury practice” of illegal dumping, which could pollute groundwater sources, also needed to be stamped out.
Kellman, pledging the Government’s support of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) in its effort to maintain a high quality of water, said that over the next few months plans would be put in place to expand the sewerage system.
“We are . . . seeking funding through the Caribbean Development Bank to upgrade the current designs for the West Coast sewerage system, which is intended to serve over 8 000 properties from St Lucy to Bridgetown,” he explained.
BWA general manager Dennis Yearwood, speaking to the DAILY NATION gave an update on other works ongoing in the upgrade programme. Yearwood said the improvement of water mains was still at planning stage, even though the BWA had done some small replacements. The upgrade is set to start by the end of the year.
With regard to the new BWA facility to be built on nine acres of land just north of the Pine Hill Dairy, Yearwood said a document had been prepared and was being reviewed by hopeful contractors.
Yearwood said it was hoped that construction, aimed at 18 to 24 months, would also start by the end of the year.
