CWSA extends hours for rationing water

The Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) has expanded both the areas and hours of water rationing.

In a release issued Wednesday, the CWSA said that the continuing drought conditions in St Vincent and the Grenadines have resulted in a further reduction of inflows from the three major rivers at Dalaway, Majorca and Montreal.{{more}}

Production at these three systems is now estimated to be at about 30 per cent, the release said.

“The CWSA is now forced to expand both the areas and hours of water rationing to include all areas between Buccament and Calliaqua, inclusive of Kingstown and its environs, Arnos Vale, Belair, Gomea, Dauphine, the Marriaqua valley and some areas in the South-East of the island.

“The CWSA also advises residents in these areas that in order to minimize inconveniences, the scheduled outages will be mainly confined to the period between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. each day, however interruptions during the day may also be experienced until the rains return. Once the situation improves the restrictions will be eased,” the release said.

According to the release, during the past five months of 2014, only 20 inches of rainfall have been recorded in the interior of the island, compared with the expected historical total of 45 inches of rainfall. For 2014, this represents an almost 60 per cent reduction in rainfall during what is usually the dry season for St Vincent and the Grenadines and the region in general.

The CWSA again urges the public to continue to observe strict water conservation measures by eliminating wastage at public facilities, reporting leaks and limiting water use to only priority household activities.