Today is being observed internationally as World Water Day under the theme “Transboundary – Making Water Conservation a Way of Life”.

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water.

Observance of world water day began in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development contained in chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.

Every government must ensure that its citizens have the water they need to lead healthy, happy and productive lives. As populations and economies grow, national demands for fresh water increase. Globally, there is enough freshwater to meet everyone’s needs, but the world’s supply of freshwater is not evenly distributed and often not appropriately managed. Many countries are already facing increasing scarcity of freshwater. By 2025, 1.8 Billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity and two thirds of the world’s population could be under stress conditions.

In some areas the availability of good quality freshwater has been reduced due to pollution from human waste, industry and agriculture. Since 1990, half of the world’s wetlands, our principal source of renewable freshwater, have been lost.  

In our own country, we make use of all available water resources.  Approximately 90% of the water that we produce comes from streams and rivers, about 5% comes from springs and another 5% comes from underground aquifers through boreholes or Wells.

Practices that would pollute our water sources and therefore render them useless or make the water from them very expensive to treat must be discouraged.  The disposal of garbage and sewage in our rivers can cause these sources of water to become unsafe or very expensive to treat.  Care must be taken to ensure that safe farming methods are practiced and physical development on or around groundwater resources is done in a sustainable way, with mitigation measures to ensure that the water is not polluted.

Even the protection of the atmosphere is important because that too can be polluted by the dust and gases from our economic and social activities, which will pollute the rain water.

Water Conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water.  Despite the view that water is easily accessible and a free gift of nature, there is an expensive treatment process and extensive pipeline network that must be maintained in order to bring this valuable resource to consumers in a manner fit for human consumption.

The average household in Grenada uses approximately 160 gallons of treated water per day. Studies have shown that approximately 10% of water delivered to customers is wasted due to leaks on their property.  Similar studies also show that water consumption within a household can be reduced by about 30% by using proper water saving devices and good conservation practices.

In observance of World Water Day, NAWASA has organized a week of activities that will include all segments of the population. There will be school visits, Public Awareness Sessions and even a Customer Appreciation Day.

On Monday March 23rd and Tuesday March 24th NAWASA Representatives will be visiting selected schools across the island to speak with the students from grades four through to six.

On Thursday March 26th  there will be a Public Awareness Session at the Melville Street Fish Market Parking Lot between 10am and 3pm. Information on Water conservation will be available at this Session from the Authority and related information from other Agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Fire Department, Ministry of Works, Housing Authority etc. It is at this event that Primary Schools will be displaying the posters they created to depict the theme of World Water Day 2009.

On Friday March 27, there will be a special treat for Customers visiting the NAWASA Cash Offices.

Throughout the entire week there will be a promotion targeting disconnected customers. Once you are a disconnected customer you may come into any of our offices and make a payment plan with the revenue department, whose officers will, on receipt of payment of a specified percentage of your arrears, arrange for your service to be restored without you having to pay a reconnection fee.  This program is not available to persons who have been disconnected for tampering with the Authority’s infrastructure to steal water.

The Authority will continue to improve our level of service and product offering and play our part in promoting conservation by improving our response time to repair leaks when they occur in the system.

Let us all work together and play our part in promoting a better culture regarding the use, conservation and payment for this valuable natural resource.  

Remember Water is life!!!!!