El Nino blamed for low rainfall levels
By Bert Wilkinson
Farmers and ordinary householders in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia among others are starting to express concern about looming water shortages resulting from the prolonged dry season that saw vastly reduced annual year-end rainfall levels.
In Trinidad for example, weather watchers at the Piarco International Airport point to statistics showing that only 10 millimeters of rain fell in January compared to a normal 71 millimeters on the books as the national long-term average.
News
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, February 15, 2010 – Drought conditions in Guyana, caused by a lingering El Nino, is threatening to cause billions of dollars in damage to the agriculture sector and officials say they’re doing all they can to, at least, limit the losses.
Like other countries in the region, Guyana is struggling with water shortages and Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said the resultant losses could be around GUY$3 billion (US$14.7 million).
Caribbean countries have been implementing various measures to control the use of water as the region experiences a prolonged drought.
From Trinidad and Tobago in the south, to Jamaica in the north, governments and the various utility companies have announced stringent measures ranging from a ban on watering lawns, to washing vehicles as a means of dealing with the low volume of water in reservoirs as a result of the reduced rainfall.