Singing the Blues: A Look at Water Scarcity in Trinidad and Tobago

What is water scarcity in the context of Trinidad and Tobago?

The definition of water scarcity is a lack of sufficient water, or not having access to safe water supplies. Based on this definition we can see that water scarcity is a problem within the confines of this country’s border. This is of special concern as Trinidad and Tobago possesses four reservoirs: Navet, Hollis, and Caroni-Arena dams, three of which are located in Trinidad and one in Tobago, the Hillsborough dam, therefore one would expect that there is an adequate amount of water for general use, but this is far from the truth. Due to several reasons that are discussed later, it can be observed that there are gaps in the reservoir, water treatment, and delivery management that cause water scarcity within this country.

Figure 1: showing Navet Dam (WASA 2008)

What causes water scarcity?

Large gaps in various points along the journey of water from reservoirs far in the hills to the taps of citizens exist. For example, during times of excess rainfall, mud, and silt runoff from surrounding lands into these reservoirs and as a result, the pumping system is shut down in order to prevent the overloading of the filtration cycle and causing dirty water to enter the homes of thousands a prime example of the phrase “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” as the shutting off of water pumps leaves people with clean but dry pipes.

As previously discussed in the last blogpost flooding is another cause of water scarcity as when flooding occurs the large influx of dirty water coming from rivers breaking their banks pour into the reservoirs which again cause a complete shutdown of the reservoir operation well after the flooding subsides due to increased turbidity and particulate matter. 

T&T operates at a 44-million-gallon deficit annually this is mainly caused by “ghost water”. This is unaccounted water that is lost due to leaks along the transport pathway. This provides a two-pronged problem as the water pressure is lost which prevents delivery of water and even if one leak is fixed, maintenance or fixing of another leak higher up in the system will still cause water to be shut off. The areas of Cascade, St. Anne’s, and Lady Chancellor hill have been under constant duress due to a lack of water and as a result, have constantly been requesting truck-borne water almost weekly.

Figure 2: showing a WASA pipeline leaking (Newsday 2019)

Why should we care?

Now you may be wondering why we should care, well from a policy aspect considering the government of T&T created the VISION 2030 initiative which is based on United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals these past and current problems are in direct violation of SDG 6 which is “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Rotating the problem to a human aspect now as a lack of sanitation causes hygiene problems, and this can then affect the morale of citizens as they would not want to interact with others in the workplace or at school due to fear of shame and lastly the spread of diseases such as cholera or any other vector-borne illness that is caused by improper cleaning of food, utensils, body, or environment. Water scarcity issues are commonplace and seem more like a rite of passage of living in this country more than a glaring problem that needs to be fixed, for us to step into the future we need to learn from and bury the mistakes of our past and I strongly believe this is number one on our list. 

Figure 3: showing Water Dripping (ABC 2019)

Written by: Joshua Prentice and Nirvana Rajaram

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Manatees in Trinidad and Tobago

Image
What are Manatees? Manatees, though they live in water, are classified as mammals because they come up to the surface every three to five minutes to get oxygen through their nostrils. In the Caribbean, we have the West Indian Manatee (Latin Name: Trichechus Manatus), also known as the ‘Sea Cow’. These gentle giants can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 1200 pounds. Their diet consists of seagrasses and small invertebrates, consuming up to 15% of their body weight in vegetation. It is believed that the lack of predators in Trinidad and Tobago allows our Manatees to live up to sixty (60) years. Figure 1: showing a manatee floating (WNW Press Release 2021) What is the Status of our Manatees? In Trinidad, the Nariva Swamp is the most well-known habitat for manatees. However, based on an evaluation by UNEP/CEP in 1995, they determined that the manatee population consisted of twenty-five (25) to thirty (30) individuals in total. At that time the trend was that the population was de...
Read more

Trinidad White-fronted Capuchin

Image
  Their Status: In Trinidad and Tobago there are a wide variety of mammals that live here unlike any other island. Our islands lie the closest to South America meaning that we have both continental and tropical species of flora and fauna. The White-fronted Capuchin is a monkey that can be found in many South American countries such as Venezuela (the closest South American country to Trinidad and Tobago), Columbia, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador as well as in Trinidad and Tobago. Each country has its own subset or variation in the species that makes it unique. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature 2008, the Trinidad White-fronted Capuchin was declared as a critically endangered species with a total population size of 61 mature individuals in Trinidad and Tobago. When a species is critically endangered it means that the population size is less than 250 mature individuals. Since being classified as a critically endangered species there has been no furth...
Read more

Deforestation in Trinidad and Tobago

Image
What is deforestation in Trinidad and Tobago? Deforestation is defined as the removal of trees from forested areas across the world. Locally, we have three main forested areas: the Northern range, Central Range in Trinidad, and the Main Ridge in Tobago. It is important to mention that South Trinidad is also largely forested especially in and around the Trinity Hills. These forested areas are constantly under attack by legal and illegal deforestation. Figure 1: showing deforestation in Trinidad (Loop News 2021) Deforestation in Trinidad and Tobago Firstly, not all deforestation is illegal. Companies that require space for infrastructural development can apply to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) for approval on the project. The EMA can determine the impact that the project would cause on the environment based on the details of the venture. Lumber companies also need to apply for a license before they teardown trees from any area. However, a large portion of the trees ...
Read more