Pt. 3 - How storms change our policies - Water Management

Pt. 3 – Water Management Priorities and Policies

The irony of intense hurricanes such as Hurricane Matthew is that heavy rainfalls and storm surges pose a threat to both water quality and water availability. In Haiti, a cholera outbreak is one of the largest concerns after Hurricane Matthew’s devastation. If intense hurricanes are expected to occur with climate change, then it seems necessary to consider how water infrastructure can be designed to withstand the stress of these storms and also capture storm water for beneficial uses.

As it stands, storm water wreaks havoc on existing water supplies and places stress on countries which are already water stressed. International relief efforts are literally flooding Haiti because of the 1.4 million people in urgent need and the dozens of cholera cases since the hurricane which adds to the impact of already 27,000 cholera cases for the year. The flooding and storm surges move harmful bacteria from flooded septic systems, pollutants from unsanitary conditions and discarded chemicals into the water supply. The movement of storm water magnifies existing solid and liquid waste issues.

An exploration of how storms are focusing events to implement sustainable waste management implies that storms are also an opportunity to propel water management solutions. After all, waste moves because of water and the most visible impact of any storm is usually the flood damage caused. Flooding moves us to action one way or the other and it is an unavoidable amplifier of societal issues.

Barbados Example – Water Scarcity and Public Engagement

The water stressed island of Barbados experienced drought-like conditions at least for the past two years, although this period has not conclusively been classified as a drought. Barbados is designated as water scarce country because of the lack of surface water sources and the dense population. Specifically, a water scarce country has less than 220,000 gallons per capita per year, Barbados is designated as having only 85,800 gallons per capita per year. Even further, this water stress will increase as rainfall patterns shift due to climate change and sea-level rise leads to salinization of the island’s water aquifers.

With the addition of intense storms such as Hurricane Matthew there is both the direct impact of flooding and management of the threat to the water supply. As part of the Barbados’ government shut down in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, the public was advised through informal methods of communication (Whatsapp groups) about water service changes.

During the storm, the local water authority advised the public that water in certain parishes would be shut off. Reasons for this shutdown could have been because of the potential contamination of the desalination plant and the possible interruption of electricity which could compromise pumping operations. Residents in certain parishes were advised to collect and store water through informal methods of communication as well however there was no widely disseminated official public statement on which areas would be affected. One of the implications of this method of informal communication is that it may have led to excess collection of water. In a water scarce country this could also create further unnecessary stress on existing water supplies.

Water Priorities and Solutions

Prior to the landing of Tropical Storm Matthew, three parishes in Barbados had been without water for several months. Although the country has one reverse osmosis desalination plant and one temporary desalination system set up, all households receive water which is either primarily aquifer purified or a combination of desalinated and groundwater. The island’s aquifer purification system is comprised of 2 spring sources, 22 well sources, 8 boreholes and 27 reservoirs according to the Barbados Water Authority. On September 21, 2016 -'Water Wednesdays" a television program created by the Barbados Water Authority also attributed a reduction in water supply to a 2015 -2016 dry spell and increased salinity at certain pumping stations.

The implementation, communication and public engagement on governmental water solutions has resulted in critiques that the government is slow to respond and engage the public on this issue. Issues raised at town hall meetings and call-in shows included (1) Limited public engagement about when and how water shortages would be addressed in parishes lacking water; (2) the distribution of water tanks without information on when water tanks would be filled by the local water authority and (3) lack of access to information or technical advice about how householders could capture and reuse rainwater safely without creating mosquito breeding grounds.

The issue of lack of access to water permeated newspaper headlines for at least a month, with critiques of the slow response attributed to the politics of the situation. Local politicians refuted that critique however following the landing of Tropical Storm Matthew, the opposing political party publicly critiqued the governing political party for the rate at which the water issue was handled. The opposing political party even proposed that there should be declaration of a national water crisis.

Large Scale Versus Small Scale Water Solutions.

As the water management issue in Barbados escalated to affect the water availability in other parishes – the government held press conferences to inform and update the public about plans to install two new desalination plants.

In water scarce countries such as Barbados, although the focus has been on finding additional sources of water, the energy and technology cost of desalination still begs the question of the environmental and financial sustainability of this option. Considering that public engagement and information dissemination about water management were cited by the general public as inhibiting issue resolution, supplementary mechanisms of implementing water solutions seem to be required. For example, water solutions which also engage the public in water conservation are complimentary to the centralized solution of finding additional water sources.

In Barbados, there are already tax incentives for householders to install water tanks, however these tanks are not widely utilized to capture and reuse rainwater for non-drinking water purposes. Other smaller-scale water solutions which can foster public engagement and encourage water conservation would include governmental investment in citizen science water quality and quantity monitoring; continuous water conservation education; penalties and fines for commercial/industrial water wastage and a water tax for the tourism industry which is waived if water reuse is incorporated into business operations.

Essential Services and Essential Policies

Although waste and water management are dire issues which directly affect human health, public discourse about employee related policies were most directly linked to Tropical Storm Matthew in Barbados. This discourse led to consideration of policies which direct :- whether businesses are penalized for remaining open during the shut-down; whether businesses are required to compensate employees for pay lost due to national shut downs or emergencies; how the private sector is allowed to fund this compensation and lastly, safety protocol for employers of both businesses which provide essential private/public services and other businesses which chose to stay open regardless of a request for a national shutdown.

Changed Perspective Activates Change

Still, Tropical Storm Matthew has created an opportunity to address a number of environmental priorities in Barbados. For the priority of waste management there is the policy opportunity to foster :- recycling, creation of products from recyclables and reduced waste from composting and recycling.

For the priority of water management, there is the policy opportunity to implement efficient household rain water collection; desalination projects; community-based water conservation and management; investment in water conservation education; solar distillation of water and household level waste water treatment and purification.

It may be a preliminary assessment to say that Tropical Storm Matthew has led to the authorization of a recycling industrial facility, private sector augmentation of waste collection services and improved public engagement on water solutions. However, we can be sure that after the flood waters settle after any intense storm, our perspective changes. This changed perspective can only implement change towards sustainable environmental solutions under two key conditions - being sufficiently informed about the root cause of environmental issues and development of solutions which are tuned into public commentary therefore requiring public engagement for successful implementation.

About the Author

Dr. Ariana Marshall is a faculty member with the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at American Public University. She is the Director for the Caribbean Sustainability Collective and focuses on culturally relevant sustainability and climate change adaptation. She completed her doctorate in environmental science and risk management at FAMU.

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