LOW WATER SUPPLY SITUATION IN JAMAICA
Jamaica is another beautiful country of the Northern Caribbean Sea, South of Cuba and West of Haiti. Caribbean is best known to have abundant water resources and beautiful landscape within its areas and Jamaica is surrounded by its hydrologic location that there should be an adequate supply of water in their country but unfortunately there are various difficulties that they are facing. In the month of June 2011 news have come from the National Water Commission (NWC) has scattered around the media apologizing about the sudden water crisis disruption that the country will need to face. According to them most of their water sources and supplies of clean potable water are affected by heavy rains and the effects of unceasing weather disturbance in the last few days have destroyed some pipelines within the community but it cannot be immediately repaired until such time that the water will slow down gradually.
Repairing such pipelines and water damages may take time although they have made all their effort upon the restoration of various water sources to its full operation they have given advice the public to bare with them about the irregular low water supplies from different areas. They have also focused on central areas and large communities that are highly affected; they also added that this situation will continue until further noticed. Particularly they have pointed out the different damages brought about by heavy series of rain includes floods all over the metropolis, roads and routes that are not accessible to repair several affected areas, the electrical supplies are also cut down and mostly some rivers and spring sources have overflowed. All these reasons have affected their workers to continue their targeted repair operation.
The exchanges of ideas including the news and other environmental analysis have so much to say about their country and the water problem that they are facing recently and collectively they have reasoned out the following as another source of water disruption in their areas. For instance they have concluded that Jamaica has been heavily dependent on ground water for most of their supplies and most of this are wasted due to irrigation inefficiencies and improper sewerage system that is most likely useless and polluted before use. Some have argued that the inefficiency and environmental causes such as deforestation, soil erosion, flood and illegal logging have somehow affected the control of excess water and rain that flooded the area. These are all the negative consequences for not taking care of the ecological system.
Some have even argued that it is the government and the NWC who is to blame that they have not given the proper infrastructure and most of their water resources and pipelines would not been easily destroyed if they have used an alternative and first class structural designs. They believed that if they have used a more sophisticated material this tragic experience would have not happened within their country. They say that water sector policy also needs to implement a valid law that will also re-enact comprehensive water policy that will be beneficial for most of their customers especially those who uses water for other means rather than personal consumption. But usually most of their arguments have not done much, but they need to cooperate to the agency to rather initiate or extend their help to simply responding to their call and save water recommended only for useful consumption.
A follow up reports on July 2011, the National Water Commission declared various damages that have reach up to million US dollars but this only include the lost of their metals and scrap materials and pipelines that have been stolen during re- construction accordingly the real full cost of damages would amount up to 6 million in estimate and more if they include the cost of damages due to non operation, labor cost, delivery and construction cost and other utility expenses they have incurred. The vast majority of customers can even add up to the cost due to other causes and miscellaneous repairs from various areas that need to be fixed immediately.
After a few weeks from major location and after a few months for other areas the National Water Commission have finally declared that the supply of water in their country has been slowly improving and regularized, many water sources have been evaluated and most of all in the later days of September they have also declared that the water in a corporate area is safe for drinking and other consumption. They have also supported various testing and have also promoted most corrective measures in the affected areas. Crossroads and downtown Capital, Kingston can now enjoy their services. They have also assured the public that they will continue to further strengthen and monitor some areas that are still affected by low water supply disruption.
References;
http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/en/wra/Jamaica/Jamaica%20WRA%20-%20English.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Jamaica http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110720/lead/lead6.html
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment