More drought warnings for the Caribbean
Published:Friday | January 31, 2020 | 10:47 AM
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network says the entire Caribbean basin should monitor their water supply and adopt conservation measures as much as possible as drought situations continue to worsen throughout the region.
In its February edition of the Caribbean drought Bulletin released today, the organisation said with rainfall varying across the Caribbean during December 2019, the impact of the current dry season is likely to play out differently across the region.
It said, for example, with record low rainfall in Barbados for 2019 at its two main stations, there is much concern that long term drought can again impact its groundwater supply by the end of the dry season in May.
“Similar water availability concerns exist over other islands of the southern and south-eastern Caribbean, Antigua, Cayman Islands, and parts of the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Belize by the end of May.
“The entire Caribbean basin should monitor their water supply and adopt conservation measures as much as possible,” the agency warned.
It said that mixed conditions were seen throughout the islands of the eastern Caribbean in the month of December.
It added that shorter-term drought situation by the end of April is evolving in Tobago and might possibly develop or continue in the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) , Barbados, Belize, Cayman, central Cuba, Dominica Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Puerto Rico, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent, Sint Maarten/St Martin, Trinidad and the US Virgin Islands.
The organisation said regarding long term drought, lasting up to the end of May, is evolving in the ABC Islands, Antigua, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, eastern Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago.
It said that the situation “might possibly develop or continue” in other locations with the exception of the northwest Bahamas, French Guiana, eastern Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
“Areas ending up in long term drought by the end of May may experience significantly reduced water levels in large reservoirs, large rivers, and groundwater during the dry season,” the organisation added.
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