-as a result of impacts of El Nino phenomenon
HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) Dr. Roger Luncheon has indicated that based on the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon, the consideration of involuntary restrictions on water usage “may very well” be on the front burner. He was speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President complex, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown. He said Cabinet was last Wednesday updated on the impact of the drought-like conditions associated with the El Nino phenomenon.
Dr. Luncheon said Cabinet would be pursuing public engagements on those impacts, particularly, with the stakeholders directly involved and the communities in which they live.
He said the thrust of the presentation to Cabinet was that irrigation and water availability was significantly threatened in these areas, and in the capital city of Georgetown the surface water that provided as much of 50 per cent of portable water consumption was equally threatened.
“Water storage in the conservancies, this was described as an all time low, and interventions were being intensified to bring help to farmers and householders,” he said.
He said pumping into the conservancies resulted in salt water intrusion in the inland water ways, and led to the termination of the mechanical pumping.
“Elsewhere mechanical pumping, water way diversion were still being exploited, and exploited extensively, and at considerable cost,” he told reporters.
He said, “Use, it was opined, would now have to be voluntarily reduced, and were the situation to continue, perhaps, even involuntarily reduce by the citizens.”
Alluding to questions by the media, he said a much more dire situation has developed elsewhere where rationing, controlled access and delivery enforced by State agencies for water is taking place.
“…and we haven’t gotten to that stage but the projections are going to the end of the first quarter for the duration of the El Nino phenomenon, and looking at where we are today and its impact – I am certain that the consideration of involuntary restriction on usage may very well come, and be on the front burner among decision makers,” he underscored.
“It is the reason I feel that the commitment to meet stakeholders who are affected by immigration water deficiencies, as well as, homesteaders with portable water deficiencies to meet, consult and discuss the way forward,” he concluded.
Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali, has meanwhile called on members of the public to practice conservation and impose self-restrictions in light of the current El Nino situation.
During a recent interview with Guyana Chronicle, he said the prolonged El Nino effect is developing tremendous water issues in the Caribbean, and Latin America, and countries like Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have been severely affected, with Trinidad and Jamaica, having to issue certain restrictions on water issues.
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.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture continues its aggressive El Nino, and the Ministry concluded a visit to Region Two on Sunday, as part of an outreach programme in light of the prevailing El Nino weather conditions, and several additional measures were implemented to ensure irrigation needs are met.
The Ministry said it will continue its outreach programme to other farming communities to work with farmers and stakeholders to undertake necessary interventions as the El Nino conditions prevail.