Jamaicans urged to conserve water daily
National
Water Commission (NWC) President, Mark Barnett, is urging citizens to practise
water conservation as part of their daily habit.
“The concept
of water conservation is normally taken more seriously during the dry period,
but it should be an everyday conversation and practice,” he said.
“Water is
the core of sustainable development, so we need to safeguard it.”
Barnett said
there is opportunity for persons to save water when doing daily routines such
as using the bathroom and washing dishes.
Studies show
that water use in an average household can be reduced by 30 per cent by simply
practising conservation methods.
“In some countries, they have banned high-flush toilets, which use more than 1.8 gallons of water to flush and in Jamaica, we still have toilets which use five gallons of water to flush. So being mindful of the simple ways we can conserve water is important,” Barnett noted.
He said that
rainwater harvesting should also be a part of the conversation on conservation.
“So, where
you have apartment complexes, catchments can be constructed to collect
rainwater, which can be used for irrigation. In fact, plants grow better with
non-chlorinated water,” Barnett said.
He said that
while there is a tendency to place water storage tanks on roofs, they are best
suited on the ground or at low levels.