TALKBACK: Online readers weigh in on water stories

TWO WATER-RELATED STORIES got online readers talking last week.

One was a report that Barbados is expected to receive a shipment of fresh water from Suriname.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday published an article which said Barbados was in line to receive a trial shipment in November, but Minister of Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick and acting general manager of the Barbados Water Authority, Dr John Mwansa, distanced themselves from the report.

Here’s what some readers had to say.

Faheem Ghany: Where there is smoke there is fire. This Government has credibility issues. Let’s wait and see how this turns out. We’ll find out eventually. One thing I can say is that Suriname is blessed with a large body of water.

Wayne P. Hoyte: We live in a region where resources become scarce and limited. It is good to have alternatives and test systems to see what works in the event we are faced with disasters beyond our control. If we have to import water to do [miscellaneous] things to ensure that we keep our levels of drinking water, I don’t see an issue. I am sure that health and environmental officials will ensure that the standards and qualities of any imports are high.

Sodi: Would anyone be surprised if indeed [Government] was importing water from Suriname? At least if they are, it’s good water. When those who were supposed to create solutions for what was then not a water issue of this magnitude did absolutely nothing, it created the current challenging water situation which this administration and the country is now faced with.

Carson: This is another possible solution to our low water problem. Importing water is nothing to be ashamed of. Our aquifers are running dry and our rainfall is almost half of what it used to be. If we have to import water, then we have to import water. God knows that we import everything else, including human hair.

THE OTHER STORY was that of Canadian Ron Campbell and New Zealand-born Dr Derek Golding who plan to introduce atmospheric water generators that extract water from the air. Campbell said the machines would produce high-quality drinkable water.

Russ Orford: Solar water stills have been used in the desert of north Africa for hundreds of years, collecting the moisture (dew) from the air. [It] is nothing new and with a country like Barbados that has a high humidity unlike the desert, I think we would be surprised how much water can be collected.

Tête La: The desert people were doing this on a smaller scale for centuries, but this is a pretty neat technology. I was recently doing research on these and I saw some pretty big ones, powered by solar and completely off the grid with enough water per day to wash clothes, cook, hydrate and shower a family of four.

Lloyd P. Gulston: Amazing! How is that you have foreseen Barbados water problems five years ago and pursued a plan to introduce the island these water-producing devices, and those who are the think tank of the nation are now coming to grips with the serious problem of burst mains, dry taps, 100-year-old mains and such like? What crystal ball did you use, sir?

Natasha Beckles is the NATION’S Online Coordinator.