Desalination is no longer a future option, it is now a national necessity, as the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) intensifies its operational response to safeguard water supplies. According to officials of WASCO, the Met Office and the WRMA, Saint Lucia is gearing up for what has been considered the most challenging dry seasons in recent years.
Chief Operations Manager Ali Anthony made the declaration while outlining WASCO’s short- and medium-term response plans, noting that early warning signs are already evident at the island’s primary surface water source, the John Compton Dam.
Anthony revealed that the dam’s spillway stopped overflowing in January, a development that historically occurred in March, signalling an accelerated onset of dry-season conditions. “This is an early indicator that this dry season is going to be a rough one,” Anthony said. “Six or seven years ago, we would not have seen this happening so early.”
Compounding the challenge, the dam has lost approximately 50 percent of its storage capacity due to siltation, meaning that the remaining reserves must be carefully managed to last through the dry season and into the next wet cycle.
Despite reduced raw water availability, Anthony said WASCO is stepping up operational measures to ensure communities continue to receive water. These include water trucking, community valving, rapid leak repairs, and increased monitoring of distribution networks. “Our responsibility is to manage whatever resources we have so that residents are not without water for long periods,” he stated. “The more water we save, the more water is available to consumers.”
He urged customers to immediately report leaks and wastage, stressing that conservation directly reduces the severity of rationing.
With climate trends showing increasingly drier conditions, Anthony said the country has reached a critical turning point.
“We no longer have a choice. Desalination must now be a common feature in our water production system,” he declared.
He pointed to regional neighbours such as Antigua, St. Kitts and Barbados that have already adopted desalination due to declining freshwater resources. “It is more expensive, but desalination provides something surface water cannot, resilience. Once you have a desalination plant, you always have water, regardless of climate conditions.”
Anthony outlined three major short- to medium-term projects aimed at strengthening the national water network:
Filter Rehabilitation at Theobalds Treatment Plant: Six ageing filters will be rehabilitated this year to increase production efficiency and reduce backwashing, leaving more water available for consumers.
Northern Transmission Pipeline Expansion: WASCO will continue replacement of deteriorated pipelines from Dennery through the northern corridor, improving reliability and reducing leakage.
Raw Water Pipeline Replacement: A critical 5-kilometre section of pipeline carrying water from the John Compton Dam to Theobalds Treatment Plant will be replaced, following multiple ruptures in December that caused prolonged service disruptions. The project will be funded through the Caribbean Development Bank and is currently in the procurement preparation phase.
Anthony cautioned that increased abstraction from the dam would accelerate depletion and worsen rationing if conservation measures are ignored. “If you do not conserve, the rationing will be worse,” he warned.
He encouraged households and businesses to adopt rainwater harvesting systems, noting that rainfall can occur at any time and should be captured to supplement WASCO’s supply. “Every drop you save helps ensure that our storage lasts us through the dry season,” he said.
WASCO continues to work closely with the Water Resources Management Agency and the Meteorological Services as the island prepares for what is expected to be a demanding and unpredictable dry season.
