Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 29, 2019 (SKNIS): Water preservation continues to be of paramount importance to the St. Kitts Water Services Department (WSD). Against this backdrop, the department hosted its first Open Day on Friday, March 29, 2019, to educate persons on the importance of conserving water.
Charles Parris, WSD’s Acting Manager, said that the idea behind the Open Day is designed to help persons understand what the operations of the Water Services Department are like on a typical day. A key component of the activity is an exhibit mounted at the Water Services Department’s Compound at Needsmust.
“The intention basically is to just get the word out there, help people to understand what we do so that our work isn’t a mystery and also probably, if we can, with this exhibit, increase the value that people place on water,” said Mr. Parris. “We all know the importance of it but how fragile this resource is, some of us don’t understand that part of it. So, this exhibit in a sense is to just try and get that knowledge out there.”
He noted that the exhibit will also provide persons with the opportunity to see the processes that water go through.
“Here we have on showcase some of the smaller fittings that we use to transport water from production area to the customer. People know they have water but exactly how it happens from production to their doorstep there is a bit missing in between there, so we ae trying to fill those gaps with this display,” said the acting manager.
The exhibit features a display of how water is transported to customers using four inch pipes. There is also a makeshift well that demonstrates how a well works and how water is collected from the well. Also, on display is the simulation of a distribution system on all the different fittings such as the valve, hydrants, meters and couplings.
The exhibit is open to the public. It forms part of the calendar of activities for World Water Day 2019 celebrations, observed under the theme “Leaving No One Behind”. Persons are encouraged to go and view the exhibit free of cost as it will be on display for an extended period.
World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of such a vital resource.
