Jamaicans are being urged to practise proper sewage and chemical disposal habits in order to protect the country’s underground water resources.
Chief Hydrologist at the Water Resources Authority (WRA), Geoffrey Marshall, in making the call, said “it is important for us to realise that what we do on the surface will impact groundwater, which is the source of water for many Jamaicans right now”.
“We own our water resources. Be careful of what we do with chemicals. Use a proper method of disposing of pesticides or any form of contaminants,” he urged, while addressing a recent JIS Think Tank.
He added: “We must ensure that we do everything we can to stop contaminants from going into the environment, because what goes into the environment will end up, one way or another, in our water supply. So, by protecting the environment, we are ultimately protecting ourselves.”
Mr. Marshall pointed out that groundwater in Kingston is not suitable for potable use, as the Liguanea aquifer is polluted with nitrate contamination, due to years of improper sewage disposal.
He said that immediate behaviour change will ensure that groundwater is safe now and in the future.
He noted that this is critical, as projections are that Jamaica is most likely to have much more varied rainfall and then a decline, as well as an increase in temperatures over the next 50 years.
“That would mean less water available for recharge, and eventually, we are going to find ourselves in a deficit. So, we must use water more efficiently, thereby reducing loss,” he said, while stressing the need to safeguard underground sources.
The WRA will launch a water resources master plan on World Water Day on March 22.
Among other things, the plan guides the country’s water resources development activities to meet current and future demands.
SOURCE: Jamaica Information Service. (2022, March 17). Protect Jamaica’s Underground Water Resources. https://jis.gov.jm/protect-jamaicas-underground-water-resources/