At the seminar held at the Hayes Primary and Junior High School on Tuesday March 24 Jamalco’s Manager, Corporate Services & Government Affairs Leo Lambert, said Jamalco donates over 332,000 gallons of water per week to communities in its operating areas as the drought now affecting the island continues. He said the bauxite/alumina company supplies 84,000 gallons of potable water to Harmons and South Manchester communities; 19,000 gallons to schools; and 229,000 gallons to individual residents. Mr. Lambert told the students that water was a precious commodity and it should be managed wisely.
He also explained that the company assists communities because “Jamalco values its relationship with its host communities because in the final analysis they hold the franchise to our ability to operate and we believe that water is life.
Marlon Crosdale, Chemical Engineer, Jamalco also spoke to the students about “Water Usage in Bauxite, Mining and Alumina Production.†He used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate how Jamalco uses and reuses water. He explained, ‘water is drawn from wells to the plant where it is managed and diverted to various areas, recycled and reused. He told the students, “earth has its limits and soon we will be out of water, if we do not manage it wisely.â€
This seminars are organized as part of the company’s ‘Jamalco in Schools Programme’ organized by the bauxite/alumina company to broaden students’ awareness of Jamalco’s operations and its contributions to the community.
Another speaker was the Regional Systems Manager, National Irrigation Commission, Joseph Gyles. He told the students about the world’s water, explaining that “97% is salt water, 2% is not accessible because it’s all ice and the remaining 1% is usable to man, and of that 1%, agriculture uses 75% for irrigation. He added that irrigation supplements rainfall when there is no rain and the world’s population is growing. As a result, he demand for water is increasing.
Mr. Gyles also outlined a number of examples of how water is efficiently used in agriculture including sprinkler irrigation, center pivot irrigation and drip irrigation. Of the three, drip irrigation is the most efficient watering system being 90-95% effective as it calculates the amount of water used. “Use less water to produce more, water is life but irrigation makes the difference,†he added.
