The Stabroek Business has agreed to publish this article on the culture of potable water use which was prepared by Guyana Water Inc. as it continues its programme to realize an enhanced level of national sensitivity to the importance of more responsible management of water use by consumers.
Water is a naturally occurring resource upon which all life is dependent. By pedestrian observations, it may be seen as abundant, since 70% of the planet’s surface is covered by water and it accounts for an estimated 7% of the Earth’s mass. This could not be further from the truth as only a mere 0.2% is in a state sufficient to support terrestrial life. Its availability is also sensitive to an array of natural and manmade disturbances such as drought and pollution and hence in its pure state this precious resource is often scarce. Not surprisingly, according to the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century, approximately 3 billion people (half the world’s population) are without access to safe potable water.
In contrast to the global water availability trends, Guyana is a country endowed with an abundance of water resources. In fact, the word Guyana in native Amerindian dialect literally means land of many waters. The adequacy of its naming is obvious upon inspection of the vast quantities of water conveyed by the country’s countless watercourses, vast aquifer systems and its high duration and intensity rainy reasons. However, consistent with its natural occurrence globally, much of the water resources in Guyana are either inaccessible or unfit for human consumption in its natural state. As such, vast amounts of energy are required for abstraction, treatment and distribution of water to consumers throughout Guyana. Unfortunately, this fact is often overlooked by the Guyanese populace and coupled with an illusion of abundance results in a leisurely approach to the utilisation of this precious resource. This phenomenon can be exemplified from a range of occurrences from the most blatant displays of wastage through permanently open connections to lesser offences of leaky internal plumbing fixtures. In either case, over time, the volumes lost are tremendous and contributes to the scarcity of this natural resource.
The burden of conservation is not limited to the consumers of this precious resource but extends to its service providers as well. In the case of the country’s licensed provider, The Guyana Water Incorporated, significant volumes are lost in the distribution process through leakage. The consequences of availability of this limited resource occur at several levels, the most obvious of which is the exacerbation of scarcity. However, as a result of the limited quantities available, customers are unable to enjoy a quality of service that can afford them the volumes they desire. In their plight to establish continuous service, often the only recourse seen fit is the destruction of water supply infrastructure. This situation is paradoxical as the very reason for initial shortcomings in supply results in actions that ultimately impair the ability of the service provider to meet customer expectations.
The Water Company has recognised the need to aggressively address the issue of leakage and has engaged in a campaign to reduce its propensity. This is a plausible action as the returns from reduced leakage are tremendous. Apart from directly increasing the quantity of water available, reducing leakage reduces the volume that is required from production systems and hence the amount of energy and cost is reduced. Leakage reduction also fosters the confidence of customers in the service provided by the Water Company. Customers would no longer tend to view the concept of conservation advanced by the Water Company as a statement of hypocrisy as in this case, the company would be setting the example through leakage reduction. Also noteworthy is the impact of the customers’ willingness to pay as a result of the Water Company’s leadership in water conservation.
The illusion of abundance is also observable at the multi-sectoral level. In the case of the agricultural sector the current “Grow More” Campaign will naturally attract elements within the home-owners demographic to engage in some level of crop cultivation, an activity which requires considerable volumes of water. Unfortunately, areas in which this is likely to occur are serviced exclusively by potable water pipelines and hence the patterns of consumption and supply will be altered by additional uses for which existing systems are not designed to satisfy. Such implications of activities in parallel sectors must be recognised and opportunities for synergy through shared resources explored. In the case of the “Grow More” campaign, possibilities such as re-use of domestic waste water for agricultural purposes must be explored.
The undisciplined approach towards potable water in Guyana will also create issues of sustainability in the context of global potable water availability. Failing to respect potable water as a scarce resource exacerbates its unavailability with a cascading effect on the economics of its provision. As such, when attitudes of wastage are exhibited by consumers, the amount available for competing users and usages obviously decreases. In this context, the occurrence of a price increase may be two-fold. The first part of the price increase is conditioned by the additional volume of water that must be extracted and/or treated while the second part is a result of the economic principle of supply and demand. However, the effects of both the former and the latter are normally suppressed by Governments’ policies of subsidising the provision of potable water, especially to poorer consumers.
The economic implications alone should provide the impetus for potable water to be treated as a scarce natural resource, but there are benefits to be derived from other criteria. In Guyana’s case, much of the potable water delivered to consumers is derived from underground aquifers, of which theirvulnerability to the natural phenomenon of saline intrusion is yet to be ascertained. Limiting the volumes extracted will serve to protect Guyana’s primary source of potable water from permanent contamination thereby ensuring its availability for generations to come.
Water as an economic good is not a new concept and is included amongst the principles of integrated water resources management. This notion can be easily understood by considering the vast amount of energy and hence costs associated with its extraction, treatment and distribution. In the case of Guyana’s water service provider, in 2007 the energy bill associated with these processes was estimated at G$1,875M. This statistic ensures that water is made easily available to Guyana’s population, a luxury that is not enjoyed by the entire world. In fact, in some countries, obtaining water for basic survival and hygiene is an almost superhuman task which involves a trek of over 2km during which the required volumes are hoisted under manual power.
In conclusion, the long term availability of potable water in Guyana is the responsibility of all citizens whereby a culture of respect for this precious natural resource fostered, thus ensuring water would never be taken for granted.
