Water is fast disappearing

Mar 02, 2010 Editorial

It must be a blessing that Guyana is a Land of Many Waters because the harsh effects of El Niño have not yet hit home. People still operate car washes in the city using power hoses every day and people still leave taps running. Fortunately, Guyana Water Inc. seems to have a lid on leaking mains and this must have had to do with the management.
There were notices about the impending water shortages but these were directed at the farmers who needed irrigation water in their fields across the country, particularly those in the coastal belt. There was a warning because El Niño is not something that falls from the skies. It is a cycle that is followed by La Niña.
There are people who are insisting that Guyana could have created a number of reservoirs but if the truth be told Guyana has never been pressed into creating reservoirs. Whatever it had were always considered enough because for the most part, dry spells never lasted beyond a few months although there were times when the ground actually became parched.
Guyana’s agricultural basket rests along the coastal plain as do the major export crops. There have been cutbacks in the extent of cultivation and consequently, loss projections. Sugar, which has long been in a loss-making position, is going to be hard hit. Rice is not going to do much better especially since there are other rice producing countries that actually have lower cost of production despite Guyana’s cheap labour.
What makes Guyana’s case so much more worrying in the face of El Niño is that the farmers have been borrowing heavily, not necessarily to invest in their farms as to undertake other business ventures but using the farm as a front. They also hedge their bets by using the borrowed money to provide a nest egg for their families.
But the farm is always the first love so El Niño is bound to hurt them. Last week one newspaper reported that four farmers were heading to court because they decided to divert water from whatever reservoir there was to their individual farms to the exclusion of others. Their mistake was cutting the dam at a time when there were restrictions on the use of water.
There are also requests that people desist from doing certain things even as the authorities attempt to divert water. This past week people were reported to be using contaminated water because the levels in the canal had sunk to levels that pollution from the soil had set in. Under such conditions the authorities advise people to boil their water.
However, most Guyanese, at their wits’ end to maintain food on the table, seek to preserve ever ounce of flammable material. They are therefore less likely to boil the water. At the same time these are the farmers who recognise the importance of water. These are the people who are watching their efforts go down the drain in the field. These are the people who are willing to risk jail to divert water to their crops.
But why should this happen in the Land of Many Waters? The fact is that we take water for granted. It is only when the commodity is removed that we recognise the need and feel the attendant frustration. We have seen people trek long distances to sources of water to undertake household chores. The average household uses about 50 gallons of water daily to cook and wash. El Nino could force a further reduction in use because the various sources of water are drying up at an alarming rate.
But even as this is happening Guyana is racing to construct a canal that would take water to the Atlantic Ocean. This multi-million-dollar project is going to raise eyebrows under the present conditions. People will not see the need for water to be dumped. The floods of 2005 and 2006 are recent memories.
If the truth be told, though, it may be easier to construct a massive reservoir. This may necessitate some engineering but not of the magnitude that is required to construct the discharge canal. Guyana needs to reconsider the option because there is no doubt that situations are going to be increasingly difficult. There are going to be longer dry spells and increasing threats to farms.
But farming aside, this is a time when fires rage. During this period of El Nino there have been dozens of fires. Most of them are brush fires but quite a few have destroyed homes. These fires place the Guyana Fire Service at a distinct disadvantage because the sources of water are drying up.
It is here that the threats are greatest. And this cycle is going to be repeated. We have short memories but whatever mistakes are being made should not be made the next time around.

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