Water shortage set to continue

FRIDAY, JUNE 24: Bermuda’s drought conditions are set to continue for at least another week, weather experts said yesterday.

The island has had half the rainfall for this time of year than normal — less than 13.2in, compared with 25.24in.

Dr Mark Guishard, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said rainfall from June 2010 to May 2011 showed a fall of 15.5in on the long-term average figures.

He said: “The majority of the deficit has been due to the lack of rainfall in the first half of this year.

“There are no weather systems in the next five days which are expected to bring anything more than the occasional short-lived shower to the island.”

This year’s low rainfall follows a below-average figure for 2010. There was just 46.29in last year, compared with the usual 55in.

Water delivery firms say this year has brought record calls for load.

Bruce Degrilla, manager of Darby’s Water Services in Warwick, said it was harder to get water from pumping stations —  although calls from householders had rocketed.

He said Southampton’s Port Royal water station regularly closed early due to running out of water, while the closure of the North Shore station affected truckers’ ability to respond to customers.

Worst year

Mr Degrilla said: “People are definitely running out of water because of the lack of rainfall. We’ve had people calling who’ve never run out before. We’re in drought conditions already.

“It seems like every year it’s getting worse. This is definitely the worst year I’ve seen in five years in the business.”

Farad Furqan, Wett & Wild owner, said: “Outside my regulars, there’s been a rise of about 50 per cent in calls. We’re getting calls from people who have already run out of water and others who need to top up because they don’t want to run out.

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying there’s a drought because it’s not at the point where we can’t get any water at all.

“But the lack of rainfall has made a huge difference — we’ve dealt with people we’ve never seen before.”

The Pembroke-based businessman added: “A lot of customers are telling me they’ve never had to buy water before — everybody is experiencing problems.”

He said the North Shore station closure meant truckers had to travel further afield to fill their tankers.

“Sometimes you just can’t get the water when you need it,” he said.

The Bermuda Sun asked Government what contingency plans were in place if the problem was to worsen and why the North Shore station was closed. The Ministry of Public Works refused to comment.