Engineering solutions
STUDENTS ARE taught about it yearly, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run-off – then it all repeats. It’s the water cycle! However, what happens when the rainy season we’re used to doesn’t come? Or the dry season is longer than usual? Whether you’re connected to the National Water Commission’s water network or another commercial supplier of water, have a tank to catch rainwater off your roof, or travel to the river or spring that the community has been dependent on for decades, we all rely on rain for our source of domestic, agricultural and industrial water needs.
Climate change and its effects on small island developing states, such as Jamaica, have been of major concern in recent years. Shifting rainfall patterns, more intense and decreased rainfall events, increased flooding, rising temperatures, and increased drought have been experienced in Jamaica over the last few decades. In 2019, St Mary experienced seven consecutive months of drought from January to July. Meanwhile, in August 2019, St Catherine and Kingston and St Andrew (KSA) received only 30 per cent and 37 per cent of the normal rainfall, respectively. These changes have severely impacted our potable water supply, with schools forced to close, and hospitals forced to cancel surgeries due to inadequate supply. Many are also forced to bathe or ‘tidy’ with small basins or buckets, to save on the precious resource. Water scarcity has become an ever-increasing problem in the land of wood and water.
Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) has executed hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of water supply projects over the years to aid communities which lack access to water for their domestic and social needs. In many instances, without RWSL’s involvement, schools would be unable to open their doors, while residents and businesses in the associated communities would be forced to either purchase truckloads of water for excessively high prices or make dangerous treks along slippery, steep slopes to access the precious commodity.
RWSL is currently completing 26 rural projects across Jamaica which will provide piped-water solutions to 56,000 residents. The company will also rehabilitate 20 catchment tanks and complete 38 rainwater-harvesting and renewable energy projects in schools islandwide. Enid Bennett High and Rock Hall All-Age schools are two facilities which were recently completed. Both schools have been receiving irregular supplies of piped water and required additional sources for the daily operations of the institutions. RWSL implemented rainwater-harvesting projects which collect, convey and store rainwater; concrete tanks were constructed and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) black tanks installed at the schools. PVC guttering was erected on several buildings at each school to convey the water to the concrete tank. The collected rainwater is used for flushing toilets in bathrooms and other ancillary uses. At the Rock Hall All-Age School, RWSL installed water-saving toilets, and faucets were installed in the bathrooms to lower water usage. In fulfilling our motto, ‘Engineering Solutions for Development’, we strive to provide safe, sustainable water-supply systems to communities for decades to come.