by Curlan Campbell
- Grenada last faced severe drought-like conditions 14 years
- Water usage restrictions come into effect Sunday, 12 May
- Anyone found in breach can be fined up to EC$500 or face imprisonment of up to 1 month
It has been 14 years since Grenada last faced severe drought-like conditions. The National Water and Sewerage Authority (Nawasa) is taking this emergency seriously, and its Board of Directors has decided to implement water restrictions as provided for under the legislation.
As of Sunday, 12 May 2024 water usage restrictions will come into effect and anyone found in breach can be fined up to EC$500 or face imprisonment of up to 1 month.
The usage of water supplied by Nawasa has some specific restrictions that consumers are asked to adhere to. These restrictions include:
- Irrigation and watering of gardens, lawns and grounds through hoses
- Washing roadways, pavements, paths, garages, outrooms, and vehicles with the use of hoses
- Filling swimming pools and ponds with water supplied by Nawasas
“If you are found to be non-compliant with this regulation, you may be charged and the penalty can be as high as EC$500. Failure to pay the penalty can result in imprisonment for one month. Nawasa takes this matter seriously and does not wish to enforce regulations through imprisonment. Therefore, we kindly ask the general public to cooperate with Nawasa during this period and limit their water usage as we have requested,” stated Nawasa’s in-house Legal Counsel, Dennies Burris.
In order to enforce the regulation, Nawasa will be relying on the Royal Grenada Police Force.
“It’s usually the police that will have to assist Nawasa in the enforcement. So we will have the assistance of the Royal Grenada Police Force in making certain rounds in the areas. And when we see or capture or we have reports from [people] saying that a particular individual has been using the water in a way that has been restricted. It’s the Royal Grenada Police Force that will have the ability to charge and that is when Nawasa would be able to enforce the regulations through the Royal Grenada Police Force,” Burris said.
Since the onset of the severe drought-like conditions, Nawasa placed focus on the equitable distribution of water in the face of severe shortfalls in areas that experienced significantly below-average rainfall.
Nawasa Communications Supervisor Jamila Lewis outlined the institutions that will be prioritised for water access. “We have at this moment been paying particular attention in the south to the schools, Caliste Government and other schools that have been relying solely on the water truck at the moment because of the shortfalls that we are having. We’ve also been trucking water to St Paul’s government schools as well. And of course, our priority areas at this time will be our health centres, and our other medical facilities. We also have the SSU through the Royal Grenada Police Force. We also have to focus on other areas that we believe are crucial at this time, so we have homes etc. that would require water,” she said.
Due to Nawasa’s valve regulation measures, there are currently communities that have been disproportionately affected as a result of water shortage.
Nawasa’s Acting General Manager Terrence Smith explained that due to Nawasa systems being gravity-fed, the communities at the end of the distribution network at higher elevations will be disproportionately affected. “Households towards the end of our distribution network and at a higher elevation will always get water after everyone else because the water has to flow there. It is not always possible for the authority or our technicians to accurately predict under control, the full extent of where the water flows… It’s important to understand that because it’s a gravity-fed system, people at the extremities and at the higher elevations may not be as adequately served,” he said.
Nawasa is relying on truck-borne water to offset the challenge, according to Smith. “We are addressing that through truck-born water. Nawasa has relatively small water tankers, and of course, in the private sector, there are other much larger water tankers, which convey water. As far as Nawasa is concerned, we have a schedule; we know where the at-risk supply areas are but we address this by doing a schedule and delivering water to people’s tanks and receptacles and so forth.”
Under the G-CREWS project co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Nawasa is also looking at improvement to its non-revenue water management and mainstreaming rainwater harvesting at the domestic and residential levels.
It’s time that Grenada should do something about they water system. Growing up in GND I can’t recall the water system building new dams to prepare for time like this. Look at all those developments that’s going up on the Island doesn’t this tells the idiots at Nawasa that their need to do something.
“The drought” is not the issue: Nawasa and Governments’ persistent failure to expand water storage capacity is. Also, Government’s absolute monopoly over water supply is an underlying constraint that it is silent on. Given the failure to build in resilience in the system, will this change?
Barbados supplements it’s water supply via a privately owned desalination plant; Antigua requires hotels to use small desal plants and legally requires all new households to build water-collecting cisterns to ensure water supply.
But in Grenada we continue to rely 100% on a publically-controlled water supply system that has repeatedly failed us for over 50 years!.
So “blaming” our acute water shortage on “the first drought in 14 years” is both a misdirected and erroneous judgement call. Instead, it is our system that needs to be liberalized to assure both supply resilience and water efficiency.
There’s no mistake we’re in serious drought. So why isn’t NAWASA plugging all the leaking pipes.
I know about three in my area in LA Mode St. Patrick’s. The leak in front of my house, with gallons of water goig into the drain is ongoing for nine month. NAWASA know about, promise me they’ll fix it yet the gallons go into the drain.
A crime shame NAWASA.
Lack of preparation, and so it has been for years; despite the rapid increase in the house stock, to include hotels and businesses.
No creativity whatsoever has been shown over the years. This is not the time to be defensive due to egos.
The picture is big and detrimental to the Grenadian Community in many ways.
There are visitors to the country who are able to make constructive suggestions and changes if allowed a consultation.
Lack of water affects not only the Grenadian community but the GDP as well in terms of the Tourism factor as there are increasing demands to be met.
…Pipes, pipes, pipes without catchments…
Newly built houses and facilities should be encouraged to include built in catchments.
Rooftop rain water harvesting should be encouraged and incentives built in to defray high costs.
Why do we wait until the problem arises to kick up a fuss when it is known that there are two seasons the rainy and dry.
Create campaigns prior to the rainy season instead of adding additional costs caused by continuous busting pipes, (due to gas pockets and erosion).
I can go on but I believe by now you get the gist. Monitor catchment areas.
Now you want to blame the public for your ineptitude.
While the elements have a role to play.. with due respect …you NAWASA…out to be ashamed.
It’s time to wake up NAWASA. Your sleep is and has been too long and costly!!
I guess we all will be lots of rain dance festivals and carnivals?