BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados-based Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPMN) on Wednesday said there are no concerns over short term drought even as it urged Caribbean countries to monitor water resources that could be affected by long term drought.
In its latest edition of the “Caribbean Drought Bulletin,” the CDPMN said that “with rainfall continuing to increase in the Caribbean, and in many cases being normal to above normal, there are no concerns over short term drought that can impact streams, small rivers and ponds, other than in southern Belize.
“Interests in the eastern Caribbean and southern Belize in particular, as well as Suriname, should continue to monitor their water resources for long term drought that can impact large reservoirs and groundwater,” it added.
The CDPMN said that over the past three months, mixed conditions prevailed throughout the eastern Caribbean with Trinidad ranging from extremely dry in the southeast to exceptionally wet in the extreme north western tip.
It said Tobago, Antigua, St Maarten, Anguilla, St Croix and St Thomas were normal, while Grenada moderately dry.
Barbados was normal to moderately wet; St Vincent severe to moderately dry, St Lucia, Martinique and Dominica moderately dry to normal, while Guadeloupe was slightly dry to normal and St Kitts normal to slightly wet.
Northern Bahamas ranged from exceptionally wet to normal and Belize ranged from exceptionally dry in central areas to moderately dry, the CDPMN reported.
The CDPMN is also warning that long term drought – by the end of November – is evolving in southeast Belize, Dominica and Martinique, and might continue in Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent and Suriname.
“Areas ending up in long term drought by the end of November, may experience water levels in large reservoirs, large rivers and ground water that are lower than normal, which would become a concern for the 2020-21 dry season,” the CDPMN added. (CMC)
