Ali calls for water conservation, self-imposed restrictions
MINISTER of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali, has called on members of the public to practice conservation and impose self-restrictions in light of the current El Nino situation.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, he said: “As you are aware, the prolonged El Nino effect is developing tremendous water issues in the Caribbean, and Latin America.”
He said countries like Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have been severely affected, with Trinidad and Jamaica, having to issue certain restrictions on water issues.
“They had to make these restrictions public. Trinidad, for example, had to deal with the issue of car washing,” Ali said.
He said: “Here in Guyana, we had issued a statement last week, making the population aware of some of the issues regarding El Nino and its impact on the water sector.”
Ali said the country is at a critical stage now, where, for example, the Lamaha Canal is at a level where residents are being asked to impose restrictions upon themselves.
He said the self-restrictions include being judicious in the way they utilise and conserve water.
“They have to prioritise the use of water. For example, we are asking them to minimise the use of water like for car wash, washing concrete and buildings and those things, because we need to look at these issues of conservation as we approach this very critical level in the conservancy,” Ali said.
He said, if El Nino continues, much broader measures will have to be looked at.
Ali said Guyana is not doing like Trinidad and Jamaica, as yet, but calling on consumers to first impose restriction.
“We are going to monitor the situation over the next few days and then we will have to, maybe, look at much more stringent restrictions to ride out this El Nino period.
“In some hinterland communities, we are going to near drought situation. A lot of the shallow wells have dried up. So it is a very difficult situation now, as a result of the El Nino,” he noted.
Ali said areas in which Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has never had to deliver water before, like Mahaicony Creek, Hague backdam, Hubu, Parika, now have to get delivery and tremendous resources are being spent to transport water in trucks, too.
“We are taking water right now into these communities as a result of the El Nino situation,” he announced.
He said, in some areas, as well, where there are small cash crop farmers, like Bush Lot, where the irrigation canals have dried up, GWI is now looking at providing water for that agricultural purpose.
“Of course, we know this is a necessity now and we are in steady discussion with the Ministry of Agriculture as we try to find integrated solutions for this very, very major issue that we are faced with as a result of the El Nino situation,” Ali explained.