WATER CONSERVATION GOES A LONG WAY IN ALLEVIATING SHORTAGES, SAYS ASSISTANT WATER ENGINEER  

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 18, 2021 (SKNIS): With the increasing demand for water and the decrease in supply, it is important to implement conservation techniques to alleviate impending shortages, says Ryan Phillip, Geologist and Assistant Water Engineer at St. Kitts Water Services Department.

Mr. Phillip, while speaking on the March 17 edition of “Working for You”, said that because of the changes in our daily lives and more demand for the use of water, it is important to implement sustainable practices such as water conservation.  

“For us to combat this national and global issue we would have to plan and plan very meticulously to implement more conservation techniques. How we manage our water is very important. We cannot have a society that functions without water in every facet,” said Mr. Phillip.
The assistant water engineer said that applying the three ‘R’s’ – reduce, reuse, recycle – to water conservation can prove very beneficial as they can help cut down on the amount of water that is wasted.

“It is applicable in terms of water. We normally speak of it in terms of plastics but reduce the usage. You hear little tips like don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth or soaping up, and check for leaks in your toilet. So that is how we could reduce our use,” he said.

He noted that water conservation requires an all of society approach.

“We really need to look at it from a multidisciplinary approach because water affects every sector and we cannot solve the problem by ourselves. Even though we are the managers of the resource locally, all of us individually are water managers. The way that you manage the water in your house is very important. We can set things in place, but it is for all of us as individuals to really put things in motion,” said Mr. Phillip.

He noted that persons need to understand that water is no longer infinite and so it is their responsibility to use the resource wisely.  
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