The Honourable Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities et al., provided an update on the water situation on St. Kitts during his presentation in Parliament on June 12.
According to him, the BEAD technology has discovered an underground water supply that, if a well is successfully drilled, will produce roughly 500,000 gallons of water per day and 15 million gallons per month.
Since we currently share the water we collect from rain, which has been cut by 40%, between the St. Peter’s and Cayon region, this will immediately effect not only the Cayon and the neighboring towns but also the St. Peter’s community.
“If we can complete the Cayon well and it is close to the 500,000 gallons per day, then we can divert all the water to St. Peter’s that is typically shared between Cayon and St. Peter’s,” the minister added.
Related: Water Exploration Drilling To Be Carried Out By BEAD Ltd In Cabbage Tree Cayon St. Kitts
The Honourable Maynard reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to finding a solution to the water issue and said that “plans are in play.”
He also mentioned that there is a drought in the Federation.
We obtain the vast bulk of our water from rainfall, and according to information I have received, the first five months of this year, from January to May, have seen around 60% of the annual average rainfall.
As a result, the government has used quick fixes to the issue.
He stated, “We are now adding about 4.6 million gallons per month, or about 150,000 gallons per day, of desalinated water to our system via the arrangement with Royal Utilities St. Kitts, who, by the way, provides water services to the Marriott hotel.”
“We hope to increase that in the next two to four weeks to about four thousand gallons of desalinated water per day of or about 12 million gallons per month,” said Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure.
