More on desalination

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Just a few years ago, I would have completely rejected the idea of using desalination plants for water supply but after reading Kristen Gyles thoughtful piece on the topic in The Gleaner on Friday, December 19, my thinking has evolved. Back then, I never liked the idea because it seemed like an expensive proposition for a perennially unprofitable NWC that would only benefit the people who live near the most populated coastal cities like Kingston with expenses probably shared among those who would never benefit from a costly plant because we live inland.

I always assumed desalination was prohibitively expensive for a poor country like ours because I had only heard of them being installed in wealthier countries like Singapore, the three neighbours that Ms Gyles mentioned and others. With continued decreases in the cost of solar power generation, desalination plants may now be feasible for areas like Kingston and Montego Bay that have high population densities and higher personal incomes. My only caveat is that if desalinated water costs a multiple of what the current system provides, the cost be borne solely by those who benefit from it and not all NWC customers.

Now that the NWC may be profitable enough to carry loans to finance the initial outlay of a solar-powered desalination plant without burdening tax payers, it’s more feasible. Of course, any large expenditure may slow the expansion of piped water supply to the whole island and push that target of 2030 a few more years into the future.

Desalination or not, it would still be wise to rely on our natural sources of water in the land of wood and water rather than become overly reliant on technology that can be disrupted by weather events like earthquakes or silly politics.

For inland areas, distributed water generation in the form of solar-powered personal atmospheric water generators might make more sense. Currently, they are only cost effective over bottled water which would reduce recycled plastic but prices should go down over time as the technology improves. They also pay dividends in the peace of mind that comes from not being dependent on utilities as people who have solar-powered homes currently experience.

SEYMOUR GREYS