On Monday, Saint Lucia’s Cabinet of Ministers approved declaring a water-related emergency, the fourth in the past ten years, as the country experiences rainfall scarcity and water supply challenges.
Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (WASCO) Chief Executive Officer Zilta George-Leslie announced the Cabinet declaration at a News Conference on Tuesday.
She said once the Gazette publishes the order, someone who contravenes the measure would commit an offence.
 Upon summary conviction, the offender would be liable to a fine of not less than $3,000 or imprisonment of not less than six months, or both.
The WASCO CEO revealed that a further fine of not less than $50 would be imposed for each day the breach continues.
“All consumers of potable water in Saint Lucia are therefore urged to restrict the use of potable water for non-potable uses,” George-Leslie told reporters.
She said WASCO recommends essential usage as water necessary to sustain human life, domestic animals’ lives, and maintain hygiene and sanitation standards.
There would be restrictions on activities including using potable water to water lawns, pressure wash, mix concrete, and fill swimming pools.
George-Leslie said that as of Tuesday, May 14, the John Compton Dam reported water levels of 318.6 feet – 14.4 feet below the spillway, dropping six inches daily.
She revealed that the Hill 20 system had shown a fifty percent reduction.
WASCO’s Southern intake reduction ranges from 29 percent in Thomazo to 80 percent in some areas.
As a result, the water utility has announced plans to implement dry season mitigation measures and start islandwide sharing as part of its commitment to ‘responsible resource management.’
The company has also implemented a comprehensive valving schedule to ensure the long-term viability of dry season water supply and will truck water to certain areas.
In addition, WASCO has increased by three, the number of crews dealing with leak repairs to ensure timely responses to complaints.
For sometime now, I’ve been complaining of a bursted main on the road next to government house .
WASCO,are you waiting for the,La toc hill to collapse before you address the situation.
I, suggest you fine yourself first for wasting water in abundance on a daily basis with impunity and fix the leaks.
So why you all buildings more hotels and golf courses in the country
So is anyone seriously looking into desalination as a solution? UWP mentioned it in 2017 and last year I think the Laborie Fishermen were looking to set up a solar portable desalination system.
Wow solar portable desalinization systems exist!!! If this island can publicly raise 2 million dollars like we all met COvid donations..why not have the public invest in this system as well as govt, and private companies here and overseas!,,,,,,,,dignitaries, diplomats and country friends of St. Lucia get cabot and DSH to invest in our Island!…
But wait, We live on an island surrounded by 💦 water. Mr. PM look into a desalination plant for Saint Lucia so everyone has enough water. Don’t only limit yourself to water ski for the Police.
We have a minister of infrastructure who has failed to deliver for the last 8 years in government:
1. St Jude’s Reconstruction
2. Desilting of the Dam
3. Maintenance of the road network.
We wouldn’t be in this situation if water-hungry hotels are forced by law to conserve water AND have their own water treatment plant (desalination) cause most of them are near the sea anyway. Government should squeeze those high profit hotels before spending endless of the peoples’ money on new treatment facilities. BTW…a huge kooship is in port today, who supplies them with water?
I totally agree with all of the coments here. Stop building more hotels and commercial buildings, which usually sit empty for years. Visitors and businesses get water before the citizens of this country! How is that right? It is NOT! Yes, we need the visitors, but make hotels supply their own water instead of taking it away from St. Lucians. Think of your own people first for a change!
Exactly @concerned and George!,,,,
Hear, Hear, Hear to all these sensible and relatively simple solutions. What is wrong with the current and previous Governments and big businesses? No intellectual, economic, social good or more likely the will to look after our own country first. Sad. St Lucia is small and it should not be so difficult to implement some of the known preventions. to many of these issues. We need sustainable solutions not people lining their own pockets and bowing to the foreign hotel and hospitality industry.
Tourism industry is not sustainable. It’s old fashion and risky to keep heavily relying on the tourism sector. What governments should be doing, whether its SLP, UWP, Green Brown party. Is to move away from planning so robustly on one economy and growth tourism. I am not against tourism. However, tourist are just passing through as guest, they don’t live on the Island. Too many hotels and now water shortages. What measures are in place for hotels, resorts and entertainment. It is not locals using these resorts and hotels. some just work there trying to make a living and go back to their local communities with water shortage issues and other issues, poor housing, health, etc. Too many massive ship cruises, too many hotels being built in and among residential areas. Look at the state of the city. No green spaces for local families to go and enjoy on weekends. No nice leisure parks to take a walk or jog, no places to meet up with friends for a coffee and chat, without some boof paff, loud music booming in your eardrums. Sometimes a quiet peaceful park is much needed. To give back to the local population. Continue this trend and it will most definitely descend into a concrete jungle with no green spaces to relax. It’s all done for tourism industry.
Take a look at what is happening currently in Spain, mass anti-tourism protest are being planned Island wide, because locals are fed up and calling for new laws to protect their Island and environment from years of mass tourism. They are calling for new laws to limit tourist capacity entering into the Island. St Lucia may be different and the situation not the same but more needs to be done to improve St Lucians well being. Locals first. Sometimes I don’t see how tourism in my opinion, benefiting some of the local population. St Lucia needs to move away from relying on tourism and focus on how to improve locals livelihood.
Dear Madam CEO of WASCO,
The article stated that “the fourth in the past ten years, as the country experiences rainfall scarcity and water supply challenges”. My question is: What has WASCO / relevant authorities put in place over the past 10 years since there is a trend of rainfall scarcity?
I suggest that the relevant authorities should put in place a policy/regulations for major hotels to harvest their own water for cleaning.