Barbados is as Water Scarce as Jordan!!

This is from a fairly recent IDB (International Development Bank) report

In 1978, Bajans used 10 gallons of water per day, according to John Mwansa, acting chief engineer of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA). Now the use level stands at 60 to 63 gallons a day for residents, and 179 gallons a day for hotel guests. “We have reached the limit,” says Mwansa. “We have taken out as much water from the ground as we can.”

Several factors account for the growing water scarcity. For one, Barbados ranks among the driest countries in the world, comparable to the kingdom of Jordan in terms of available water per inhabitant. 

Whenever I tell anyone this, the first reaction is shock. We are in the tropics and it rains an awful lot. however, after just a week or two of no rain it soon becomes obvious as the grass gets browner, and the earth cracks up, that the water is not held in the soil. 

What is water scarcity?

Hydrologists typically assess scarcity by looking at the population-water equation. An area is experiencing water stress when annual water supplies drop below 1 700 m³per person. When annual water supplies drop below 1 000 m³ per person, the population faces water scarcity, and below 500 cubic metres "absolute scarcity".

Barbados with 260,000 people has approximately 300 m3 per person - absolute scarcity.

The main reason is of course geological - the island is made up from limestone which is very porous and therefore the water is not held.

Population - pressures of a very dense population

Economic - tourist pressure for pools, showers, golf courses

Agricultural 

Infrastructural - most of the pipes on the island are 100 years old or more. it is estimated that 50% of all water is lost just in transport.

source: Caribbean 360