Jamaicans encouraged to help protect groundwater sources

The Water Resources Authority (WRA) is encouraging Jamaicans to play their part in safeguarding the island’s groundwater sources from saline intrusion.

Eighty-four per cent of the fresh water in Jamaica used for drinking, agriculture, irrigation and domestic use comes from groundwater reserves across the island.

Saline intrusion reduces the availability and quality of these water sources due to saltwater encroachment from factors such as sea-level rise resulting from climate change.

Senior Environmental Officer at the WRA, Safiya Rhoden, said that proper garbage disposal and waste management practices are important in preserving the quality of groundwater reserves.

She noted that “the threat from saline intrusion is something that we cannot necessarily avoid but we can build strength against it by reducing the number of pollutants, garbage and waste that we put into our rivers, that will feed into the groundwater”.

“We are helping to maintain and to help our stock of resources remain clean so that when saline intrusion is happening, we will still have a good reserve of water resources available for you,” she pointed out.

Another way to protect water resources at the individual level is by utilising alternative water sources for some purposes.

“Jamaica is blessed with an abundance of rain, and so we need to implement rainwater harvesting, especially when we're doing new developments. Whether it is to have a drum, get some rainwater in there, or keep it clean so that we can use it and put less pressure on the resources that are coming from our groundwater. That’s one of the ways we can help,” Rhoden said.

Farmers are also encouraged to ensure they maintain good pest control and fertilisation practices to preserve groundwater quality.

“There are some practices, whether it's here or globally that can impact on the water quality, and that's the use of pesticides [and] certain fertilisers, especially those that are not approved.

It is best to try and use natural forms of pesticides. I've seen some farmers using different plants around their crops to get rid of pests instead of using chemicals. Maintaining the integrity of the land to reduce the amount of runoff and soil erosion is something that needs to be considered as well,” Rhoden said.