The National Water and Sewerage Authority (Nawasa) continues to monitor the path of Tropical Storm Beryl, which is expected to affect Grenada and its dependencies starting Sunday, 30 June 2024.
The country is currently under a Hurricane Watch, indicating that hurricane conditions are anticipated within the next 48 hours.
In light of this, Nawasa’s preparatory actions to maintain and restore water and sewerage services are crucial to national post-disaster activities. Consequently, Nawasa is implementing its Disaster Management Plan, which includes measures to protect the authority’s infrastructure. On Saturday, 29 June 2024, our Disaster Response Team convened to assess all water systems and organise logistics and activities to ensure the safety of our staff and integrity of the water supply systems.
Nawasa’s primary goal during this period is to keep all water treatment plants operational so that individuals can fill storage tanks and containers with enough water to last a minimum of 3 days. Nawasa acknowledges that some consumers may be unable to maintain a 3-day supply as recommended. If the weather conditions continue, dams may become blocked, hindering supply distribution. Consumers with limited supplies are encouraged to safely capture rainwater for post-disaster use if necessary.
A planned island-wide network shutdown of all water systems will likely occur a few hours before the expected impact of the storm or hurricane. The timing for such a temporary shutdown depends on 2 factors: weather conditions and the risks involved at different systems. Consumers are therefore reminded to have water stored in clean, covered containers to last at least 3 days, considering their immediate family needs.
Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands late Sunday night and into Monday. Hurricane conditions are possible in the watch areas on Sunday night or Monday morning, with tropical storm conditions expected by late Sunday. These conditions can cause high turbidity and dam blockages, hindering water production for possibly an extended period.
Consumers with storage tanks are encouraged to close the outlets of those tanks as late as conditions allow, to prevent stored water from being lost through leaks that may occur due to damaged plumbing during the storm.
Nawasa thanks the public for their cooperation, understanding, and patience during this period. With the support of NaDMA and the Meteorological Office, Nawasa will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Beryl and provide water system updates as information becomes available.
Nawasa…committed to meeting customers’ needs.
