Jamaica

Jamaican Government says it may have to Limit Water Supply
Associated Press, April 6, 2000

The government's National Water Commission will begin "locking-off" the water supply to parts of Kingston for as long as eight hours a day starting Tuesday, with other parts of the country to follow, Water Minister Karl Blythe said. The water level at the two reservoirs serving Kingston has grown dangerously low, with the smaller Hermitage Dam reservoir at 37 percent of its normal level and the larger Mona Reservoir at 62 percent of capacity, Blythe said. The government's Rural Agricultural Development Agency blames the drought for 250 million Jamaican dollars (U.S. dlrs 6 million) in crop losses and livestock deaths in January and February. According to meteorologists, the Caribbean island has received only 56 percent of its normal rainfall since December with four of the country's 13 parishes receiving less than 40 percent of their normal rainfall.

FAO Reports Crop Damage from Drought in Jamaica
Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N, June 2, 2000

Normal rains have recently resumed following a persistent long drought which severely affected the country since October last year. Official figures indicate that some 2 800 hectares of growing foodcrops, such as roots and tubers, plantains, fruits and vegetables have been lost. Between 2 500 and 3 000 rural families have been seriously affected. At the onset of the rainy season, the majority had no seedlings to plant and almost no farm inputs.