Households, farmers and businesses are being warned to brace for strain on water resources as Saint Lucia moves deeper into the dry season.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Climate Change says reduced rainfall, often worsened by Saharan dust, can disrupt household supply, agriculture, and business operations, making careful management essential.
The dry season runs from December to May and is typically marked by rainfall deficits. Without proactive measures, prolonged dry conditions could lead to supply interruptions, lower crop yields, and added strain on services.
The Ministry is encouraging citizens to store water, expand capacity where possible, and use supplies responsibly.
Key points for the public:
- Plan storage based on household size, type of use, and risk of disruption.
- Consider rainwater harvesting (RWH) as a year-round supplement to WASCO’s treated supply.
- Monitor weekly forecasts and advisories from WASCO for guidance.
Director of the Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA), Jason Ernest, stressed that resilience depends on early action and shared responsibility. By increasing storage, harvesting rainfall, and using water efficiently, households and businesses can reduce vulnerability to shortages and safeguard limited resources.
For more information, contact WRMA at 468-5663, 468-5664, or 468-5669.
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Every year is the same story: Water Conservation & the public’s responsibility to comply with advisories!
Over the past years, the problem has never been about water scarcity; the problem has always been about inadequate water collection & distribution by WASCO.
When will the ministry compel WASCO to implement efficient water collection & distribution operations?
There is a clear business case at play here: WASCO can greatly increase their profits by ensuring that their infrastructure for collecting & distributing water meets any demand by the general public, even to the point of wastage. Up to now, they have been content to watch any profit potential drain away to the sea in muddy flash floods.
If and when WASCO brings their operations up to snuff, anyone who does not want to conserve water would then have to pay a premium for the privilege, without inconveniencing the rest of us who see the value in reducing our consumption to sustainable levels.
out of thin air the atmosphere contains 6 times more water than all the worlds rivers St lucia has high humidity all year round a challenge not to be critical this can be captured and can work on sea evaporation as well as land low cost no fossil fuel collect and store create jobs to assemble on the island climate change ralph UK oil industry background