The ongoing water emergency across the Grenadines has become acutely severe on the island of Canouan, where a vital local water source has been heavily restricted. The island’s residents, who typically rely on the local resort to supplement their water needs via its diesel-powered desalination plants, are now facing worsened shortages because the resort is experiencing its own supply issues.
According to the Honorable Daniel Cummings, Minister of Health, the resort is currently unable to provide the community with the typical surplus it usually shares. This shortfall has compounded an already dire situation for Canouan’s residents.
The acute shortage on Canouan is part of a much broader water crisis crippling the Grenadine islands. Residents historically rely heavily on rainwater harvesting, collecting water from their roofs into concrete or plastic storage tanks.
However, a severe drop in rainfall last year, combined with recent destruction to homes and guttering systems, has left many without their primary means of collecting water. Furthermore, some public storage tanks have been damaged or polluted, requiring urgent sanitization ahead of the rainy season.
With the resort’s supply hindered and rainwater scarce, the Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) has been forced into emergency response mode. Minister Cummings described the current intervention as “literally putting out fires,” with the CWSA currently relying on the expensive and logistically challenging method of transporting water by boat and truck to the affected Grenadine islands.
To address the immediate needs on Canouan, the government is “doing everything humanly possible,” including actively engaging in discussions with local representatives on the island to ensure residents can access safe, dependable drinking water.
The CWSA is also exploring alternative delivery methods, such as utilizing floating barges loaded with water and towed by small tugboats, to increase the frequency and volume of water deliveries to the islands