Essay On Drought In Jamaica

For centuries Jamaica has been known as “the land of wood and water” for its abundance of both resources, however, despite its acclaimed title the island remains no stranger to droughts. Owing to its location in the Caribbean, Jamaica has two seasons; the wet and dry seasons. It is during wet seasons that water sources such as rivers and reservoirs are replenished in order to prevent drought conditions in subsequent dry seasons. Unfortunately the occurrence of various weather phenomena may result in differing annual precipitation totals being received each year. When there are prolonged periods of below-average rainfall, it is inevitable that drought conditions will prevail. The ten year period beginning 2004 to 2014 has resulted in three

Leaks are mainly caused by deterioration of pipes due to age, pressure from heavy traffic, earth movements and sudden fluctuations in the pressure within the pipes. Many of the pipe networks inherited by the National Water Commission are ancient and therefore leak easily.

With the advent and development of trenchless technologies, the installation, repair and renovation of pipes can be easily undertaken. Trenchless renewal methods (TRM) are mostly used to replace, repair, renovate, or upgrade an existing pipeline system. Methods such as Cured-in-place (CIPP) refer to a method of lining in which a flexible tube filled with a thermosetting resin produces a pipe after resin cure whereas Sliplining (SL) is a general term used to describe methods of lining with continuous pipes and lining with discrete pipes (“United Kingdom Society of Trenchless Technology,” n.d.). Some benefits to be gained from the use of trenchless renewal methods in the improvement of existing infrastructure include avoiding possible damage to adjacent structures, homes, and businesses caused by dewatering operations; avoiding public inconvenience, installations in tight spaces and minimizing disturbances in environmentally sensitive areas. Unfortunately these have a higher dollar cost than that of their open cut