Groundwater — a saviour for the future

By Kimani Wiseman

In the future, water could be a scarce resource in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) mainly because of climate change.  Vincentians have been witnessing frequent droughts which cause rivers and catchments to dry up, affecting our water supply. During the rainy season, heavy rainfall can cause sediments to block CWSA pipes, landslides can also destroy their pipes and this would result in water problems. Can groundwater be a solution?

Groundwater starts as precipitation that falls on the earth’s surface and slowly seeps downward through unsaturated soil and rocks until it reaches the saturated zone. This process is known as groundwater recharge, and the top of the saturated zone is called the water table. The water table can be very shallow even at the land surface in some cases, or very deep, sometimes hundreds of feet below the land surface. Once recharge reaches the water table, it becomes part of the groundwater system. The rocks and soils where ground water flows are called “aquifers”. 

Groundwater is overlooked for solutions to water problems that we encounter during the dry season and as a result of a storm or a hurricane. For groundwater to be usable, we have to identify areas where it is located. This would require mapping of various areas in SVG and soil and rock testing.

Groundwater comes with some challenges because we are not taking care of our environment, we are polluting our groundwater. SVG is an agricultural country — a lot of people depend on farming for their livelihood. This causes an abuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. During heavy rainfall, the chemical fertilisers and pesticides would seep downward into the soil and into the groundwater which would cause some challenges for us to use for domestic purposes.

Improper disposal of our garbage on land would attract harmful bacteria. These bacteria can pass through the soil and into the groundwater. Plastics in our garbage are broken down into microplastics, which end up in our groundwater. Sewage from houses and businesses is also a threat to groundwater. The construction of septic tanks near ground water can be problematic which can cause sewage to leak into groundwater. Some people dispose of spent engine oil in the soil. This is a bad practice because the oil can leach into the groundwater.

For groundwater to be used for domestic purposes, the water would first have to be tested and treated. Desalination can be an alternative but it is very expensive. The exploration of groundwater would be extremely good for the farming communities because they can use it as irrigation on their farm during the dry season.

Here are some tips for keeping groundwater clean:

• Good agriculture practices would reduce the usage of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides. For example, heavy use of chemical fertilisers can be substituted with composting. We can use biological control to keep away certain pests on the farm. We can also use other plants to keep away some pests. Sometimes we don’t always have to use herbicides to kill weeds, we can use a cutlass and a hoe or even by hand.
• If we dispose our garbage into a garbage bin, it would help to keep groundwater clean.
• Proper mapping of groundwater would identify where groundwater is located. Once groundwater is identified, the authorities can prevent houses and businesses from being constructed near groundwater deposits. This would prevent sewage from leaking into groundwater.
• Proper disposal of vehicle oil is paramount for keeping groundwater clean.

An article published by the United Nations states that climate change is affecting the hydrological cycle and increasing the frequency and intensity of storms. The article further states that over 90% of natural disasters are water-related, including drought and aridification, wildfires, pollution and floods.

The theme for World Water Day 2022 (March 22) was “Groundwater: making the invisible visible”. With all these problems that climate change is causing with surface water, we might have to make groundwater more visible for us to use in the future, hence groundwater might be a saviour for the future. The exploration of groundwater is definitely something for the authorities to take seriously in SVG. This would prevent our pipes from running dry and we must play our role in keeping the environment clean so we can enjoy the benefits of groundwater.

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