7th June 2020
Chastanet visits John Compton Dam
By PM Facebook Page
On Monday, May 18th, 2020, we declared a Water Emergency due to the abnormally low levels of rainfall over the last few weeks. I know that there are some households that have had to endure dry pipes for days on end and the ongoing rationing system is causing major disruption to our daily lives. Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing drought conditions said to be the worst in more than 50 years. On top of that, presently the Dam is heavily silted with tonnes of sediment, reducing the our reservoir’s capacity by a whopping 30%.
On Thursday, I paid a visit to the John Compton Dam together with Minister Ezechiel Joseph to get an update on the ongoing Damn Rehabilitation and desilting works, and to witness firsthand the alarmingly low water levels and the strategy that WASCO has developed in the event that this dry spell continues on for much longer. Our Government is making a significant investment to increase the Dam’s capacity to help improve the water supply. These works are long overdue. The ticklish truth about this massive project ongoing at the DAM though, is the fact that the desilting process is heavily dependent on rain fall levels; too little or too much rain at any point can stall and prevent the progress of this major rehabilitation project.
The lack of rain has allowed the desilting bin to be cleared to receive the sediment and the extraction equipment has been deployed. Now, we wait the rains to replenish the reservoir to start sustainably dredging.
I would like to remind Saint Lucians to please continue to be mindful of this ongoing water crisis and to remember that we are doing everything in our power to bring relief to communities who experience water challenges every day.
This water project, like those we have completed in communities such as Hill20, Des Barras, Ti Rocher Micoud, Dennery North and Canaries, is part of our government's vision to significantly improve our nation's water supply capacity, distribution and resilience.
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