Kalain Ho­sein

Fol­low­ing the very harsh dry sea­son of 2020, the Wa­ter and Sew­er­age Au­thor­i­ty (WASA) is con­tin­u­ing to re­mind the pub­lic that the wa­ter use re­stric­tions im­ple­ment­ed on Jan­u­ary 28, 2019, re­main in ef­fect.

WASA yes­ter­day re­it­er­at­ed that these re­stric­tions in­clude hoses for wa­ter­ing pri­vate gar­dens and wash­ing pri­vate mo­tor cars. These ac­tions are pro­hib­it­ed by the Wa­ter and Sew­er­age Act Chap­ter 54:40 of the Laws of Trinidad and To­ba­go. Pro­hib­it­ed ac­tions al­so in­clude us­ing sprin­klers, pres­sure wa­ters, foun­tains, wa­ter­falls, and oth­er out­door fea­tures that use wa­ter.

WASA is al­so re­mind­ing the pub­lic that the onus of re­spon­si­bil­i­ty falls on the own­er or oc­cu­pi­er of a prop­er­ty to pre­vent wa­ter wastage.

Un­der the Wa­ter and Sew­er­age Act Chap­ter 54:40, tak­ing, us­ing, or di­vert­ing wa­ter from a reser­voir, wa­ter­course, or pipeline (con­duit) be­long­ing to WASA is pro­hib­it­ed. The list of pro­hib­it­ed ac­tions al­so in­cludes us­ing equip­ment to in­ter­fere with any prop­er­ty that is owned by WASA.

To look for com­pli­ance with reg­u­la­tions and re­stric­tions, WASA will be step­ping up sur­veil­lance and pur­su­ing the per­se­cu­tion of any­one found in breach of re­stric­tions.

Reser­voirs across Trinidad re­main be­low av­er­age ca­pac­i­ty

As of May 18, 2020, reser­voirs across Trinidad re­main well be­low av­er­age for this time of year. At the Hol­lis Reser­voir, cur­rent ca­pac­i­ty is at 30.12 per cent com­pared to the long-term av­er­age of 44.60 per cent. The Navet Reser­voir, the sec­ond largest in the coun­try, is at 34.07 per cent ca­pac­i­ty com­pared to the long-term av­er­age of 51.04 per cent.

At the Ca­roni/Area Dam, the largest dam in Trinidad and To­ba­go, the sit­u­a­tion is much more con­cern­ing, with 26.83 per cent filled com­pared to the long-term av­er­age of 55.66 per cent.

In To­ba­go, with near-av­er­age rain­fall dur­ing the dry sea­son, the Hills­bor­ough Reser­voir is above av­er­age with cur­rent ca­pac­i­ty at 62.40 per cent com­pared to the long-term av­er­age of 57.41 per cent.

The harsh dry sea­son

Ac­cord­ing to the Trinidad and To­ba­go Me­te­o­ro­log­i­cal Ser­vice (TTMS), April 2020 was the sec­ond dri­est April on record in the 75 years of ob­ser­va­tions at Pi­ar­co. March 2020 was the 12th dri­est record in the last 75 years at Pi­ar­co. Rain­fall was 33 per cent, 70 per cent, and 95 per cent less than av­er­age in Feb­ru­ary, March, and April, re­spec­tive­ly, at Pi­ar­co.

In To­ba­go, con­di­tions were rel­a­tive­ly less dry, with near-av­er­age rain­fall ex­pe­ri­enced through the dry sea­son.