Water Problems in T&T

This morning when I woke up it was raining. I don’t know how long it had been raining, but I was thankful for the rain. Although I am thankful, I am not naive to think that fifteen minutes of rain fall is going to solve the water problems in the country. I was thankful for the rain because I hoped that it would have extinguished some of the bush fires that have been burning for almost two weeks now, specifically the one on the southern side of the Beetham. I have been blessed in that I do not even have a tank and I always have an uninterrupted supply of water. Also strange enough my main problem would have been low water pressure but during this period of water restriction the water pressure has been excellent. Being mindful of the fact that there are a number of people who are without a regular supply of water I have followed the instructions of the Water and Sewage Authority. I have not washed my car, wash down my yard or use my hose for the year. However I cannot say the same for some of the people in my neighbourhood. Imagine that people are simply getting up in the very early hours of the morning to water their plants using a hose. This is not even a kitchen garden, I am talking about decorative plants and lawn. The beautiful thing about lawn grass is that it would withstand drought, winter and other harsh conditions and when the environment returns to conditions conducive to its growth, it grows back. Amazing isn’t it? The fact that people are getting up in the very early hours of the morning to wet their plants using a hose it tells us that they are aware that what they are doing is wrong. Pretty soon even the areas that traditionally had a constant water supply would be affected and these are the same people who would blame the government for not providing water.

How has the water shortage in the country affected you? Do you think that members of the public should report water wasters to the WASA Police?