The year is 2017, life is characterized by ever improving technology to make once arduous tasks easier. Everything you need is but a click away, and in this age of 21 century modernization, for Jamaica – the land of wood and water – water is scarce.
There is something unnerving about waking up on a Sunday morning, energy high, plans a plenty to get through house chores and cook up a most delicious meal – but there is one problem – there is no water. Never mind that it has been raining consistently for the last 2 months, and news reports echo the 100% capacity of the city’s major reservoirs, water restrictions persist.
Turning on faucets and hearing the choking sounds of a pipeline is an experience all too familiar. When I was younger, living in deep rural St. Andrew, my family and neighbours planned our lives around the schedule of the National Water Commission (NWC). Twice a week we ensured someone was home to welcome the sweet sounds of clear H2O meeting our taps. In cases where our beloved NWC could not grant us access to the commodity – treks to the nearest river was a communal adventure. The older I got, the less fun this had become.
I moved out on my own with a few things as a priority – my new home would be closer to the city and water supply would be better. No longer would I buy containers - drums and basins, to store water – no longer would I be at the mercy of scheduled water supply. I thought this part of my life was over. I was wrong.
So why in spite of the rains do my pipes continue to be dry?
Working at an environmental agency has proven most enlightening. I have learnt that despite rains and what many may think is the perfect occurrence for an abundance of water – there are more threats at play. Land management practices for example have over the years caused large amounts of damage to our watersheds – the places that collect, store and release water. Kingston and St. Andrew – which is home to over 1-million people get almost half (42%) of its water from two watersheds – The Yallahs River and Hope River watershed management units (WMUs).
Both these WMUs are two of the most severely degraded watersheds in the island. Destructive human practices like cutting down trees, over using farm chemicals and practicing slash and burn to clear lands coupled with increasing storms and drought have put pressure on the natural resources. In times of torrential or even continuous rains – loosened top soil makes its way to the river. This muddy water (which scientists call silt) become so dense that the NWC is forced to turn off its catchment and wait until the water source is cleared again. Needless to say – this restricts water in my pipe.
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Why It Rains But My Pipes Remain Dry