ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — An appeal has been made from Dominicans to conserve the country’s water resources following reports of a widespread drought in several Caribbean countries

General Manager of Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO), Bernard Ettinoffe, in making the appeal said an educational awareness programme is in place to educate the nation on why water should be conserved.

“We still enjoy an abundance where of water in Dominica and is still willing to assist some of our neighbours, but we need to conserve what we have because it is also costly to get that water to our homes,” he stated last week. “We do have policies to ensure water conservation, but most importantly is the educational process to educate people, create awareness to why we should conserve water.”

He made reference to Jamaica where drastic measures have been implemented because of the drought. “The same has happened in countries like Trinidad and St Lucia, there is a water emergency, in Antigua there is a water emergency, so hence the need for us to conserve what we have.”

“When we look at Haiti, it is another country that is water stressed or water scarce. We are still appealing to people’s consciences, still educating the public as to why we have to conserve, so we do not have to go to that point at all,” he said.

However, DOWASCO’s Public Relations Officer Edward Registe said that there are certain areas in Dominica where customers are experiencing low water pressure.

“People who want to continue to water their lawns and have sprinklers on for the entire day, we have to consider changing that,” Registe warned.

“Let us ensure that we conserve water, because it is not an infinite resource, it is something that we can lose if we do not manage it properly.”