Kristen Gyles | Save the floodwaters

Life is so much harder when you have to do it without water. It feels like Jamaicans can’t catch a break between this ongoing drought and the sweltering heat here in the land of wood and water. The heat is largely out of our control.

The chronic shortage of water, on the other hand, is an area of gross negligence. How much longer will it take for us to finally put our hands to the plough to solve the issue of the pathetically low water storage capacity in the country? When you no longer have the luxury of freely washing your clothes and getting to wash your dishes feels like a privilege, you know it’s bad.

We need water to function in hygienic and sanitary ways. Simple things like the ability to freely wash your hair or take an extra bath seem to now be elusive in many households. Furthermore, the brutal heat only adds to the demand for water both for drinking and for domestic use. Add in the threat of a COVID-19 resurgence and suddenly it feels like the worst possible time for the National Water Commission to be rationing our water.

The drought appears to be ushering in higher food prices too. The farmers are lamenting dwarfed yams and dying peppers, and since they have to be spending more on new irrigation systems and on finding creative ways to deal with the drought, we the consumers just have to settle for paying more for teeny, tiny, sausage-sized cucumbers and stunted produce. Drought conditions simply don’t make for high-quality produce. And remember, these are the same produce that our farmers have to offer to hoteliers and to the export market.

RIPPLE EFFECTS

The ripple effects of the drought are far-reaching, not only for households, many of which must face the added expense of trucked water, but for businesses and the society as a whole.

On top of the many inconveniences, every year the powers that be use a type of moral suasion to encourage us to conserve water (out of the trickle coming to our pipes) and to pull out all the stops to ensure not a single drop goes to waste. Literally every year we see and hear a variety pack of ads, pleading with us not to waste precious water by washing our dirty cars or watering our flower gardens. The nationwide water storage issues are suddenly recognised as being serious and we are reminded about the dwindling dam levels.

In principle, it is more than reasonable to ask Jamaicans to work together to conserve the nation’s diminishing water reserves. But in practicality, we are tired. Why do we have to go through this every single year? At some point, every year, when temperatures are high and the atmosphere is dry, we are guilt-tripped into conserving as much water as we can. At that point, every drop counts. You can hardly brush your teeth for more than 30 seconds without feeling you have outdone your time at the pipe. By October, when the flood rains begin to pour, and the drainage system is yet again proven inadequate to handle the gushes of water, then videos will start circulating of cars and furniture floating on water, and we will blame climate change and wash our hands clean (in the dirty floodwaters, of course), of any responsibility.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Yes, the climate is changing. But what are we doing about it? Not everything is beyond our control. The endless cycle from water overflow to waterlessness must be broken at some point. As I write, the Mona Reservoir is at an approximate 50 per cent of its full capacity. But even if it was filled to the brim, the fact is that it is just not large enough to store enough water for the 2.7 million people living within our borders. A dam that was built at a time when the population was half its current size can only hold so much water and no more. When are we going to stop citing the capacity of the dam and start citing plans for future water harvesting and storage?

Further, let’s be honest. We know it’s only some people who are ‘suffering’ from the water woes. Do I believe the dignitaries of our country are driving around or being driven around in dirty cars? Absolutely not. Do I believe their lawns are wilting? Maybe when pigs fly. During times like these, it is the average Jamaican who suffers, just like it is the average Jamaican who must make the sacrifices necessary to fix the problem.

Rather than issuing an annual invitation for the entire country to join the struggle to save every drop, please, just do something about the perennial water problem that sees our day-to-day functioning and the functioning of our entire ecosystem severely impacted.

We have a little time before the water starts pouring again. Any plan to save the incoming floodwaters?

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com.