The National Water Commission is urging Jamaicans to conserve water as several of its supply systems are already experiencing difficulty providing water due to drought conditions.

While admitting that the extent to which customers are affected is dependent on the particular system that serves them and varies from area to area, the NWC said in a release yesterday that many of its smaller surface sources in several western and central parishes have been negatively impacted.

NWC said with supply systems across the island experiencing difficulty as a result of a combination of limited rainfall and increased water demand there is greater difficulties in delivering piped water supply in some areas and an increased need and cost for delivering trucked water.

“According to the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, the cumulative rainfall for 2016 was below normal and the forecast for this year is for below-normal rainfall through to April,” NWC said. “The island’s mean rainfall for January 2017 was a mere 50 per cent of the 30-year (1971-2000) figure.

“In general, nearly all parishes received below-normal rainfall with the only exception being St Ann, which recorded rainfall above its 30-year monthly mean,” the release continued. “Severe drought conditions have been noted in the parishes of Hanover, Trelawny, Manchester, and Clarendon, with St James, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and St Thomas reporting normal drought conditions for the December – January period.

The NWC said, with the projections for March to April 2017 indicating a general pattern of below-normal rainfall for most parishes, it recognises that several of its systems will be extremely impacted.

As such, the commission has urged its customers to practise the necessary conservation mechanisms through this “challenging” time of drought conditions.