DAVIE – From one end of the Caribbean to the other, Jamaica in the north west to the easternmost Barbados in the southern Caribbean, there are worries about the lack of water. Notwithstanding the naysayers in the U.S. there is also change right here in south Florida where the winter has been un-usually rainy this time around.
In the case of the Caribbean, it might not be as surprising as might be expected. While Haiti is an extreme example, nearly all of the islands of the Caribbean have continued to abuse the environment through not only cutting down trees for sustenance whether for fuel or for shelter, in some cases, but also by burning any and everything out in the open. Not for a moment thinking it is the same burning residents do as the ones that bring health issues when a dump burns.
In part because Caribbean folk have been lulled into thinking theirs is a never ending paradise, they have simply taken the environment for granted. So burning tires as part of protest demonstrations is not accompanied by an understanding of the effects of the toxic smoke this burning brings.
But maybe even worse is the supposedly modern thinking that Caribbean families are above saving rainwater like their ancestors did. If half of all families engaged in this simple act, there possibly would be no water shortages today.
Winston Barnes
Host – “Open Mic” WAVS 1170AM
Voice your opinion on “Open Mic” with Winston Barnes daily on WAVS 1170AM or listen on-line www.wavs1170am.com
