BWA: Brace for outages

PEOPLE IN ALMOST EVERY PARISH should start bracing for water outages or low supply at certain periods, as the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is reporting low levels at some pumping stations.

And the Barbados Meteorological Services says below average rainfall for eight of the last ten months has caused a drought which could extend into May, beyond the initial projections of April.

A release from the BWA yesterday said residents in all parishes except Christ Church, St Philip and St George, would feel the effects of low water levels at Apes Hill, St James; Boscobel, St Peter; Castle Grant, St Joseph; Half Acre and Lamberts in St Lucy; Lodge Hill, St Michael; and Shop Hill, St Thomas.

“Once water levels drop too low, there is not enough water to pump at normal rates, so pumping from a given facility may either be reduced or stopped to allow the levels to recover. The authority’s distribution network of customers and businesses serviced by these reservoirs may then, in turn, be affected by outages or low water pressure,” the release said.

BWA marketing officer Yvette Harris-Griffith added it was “difficult to maintain a consistent normal supply to some areas once reservoir levels start to fluctuate the way they have been recently”. She explained that while there were some areas where low pressure was imminent, “customers should note that due to higher usage, the situation tends to get worse during peak periods – early mornings and evenings – when persons return home and start using water”. (SAT)

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