​By Abigayle McIntosh

Following tropical storm Philippe, Antigua and Barbuda are now blessed with an abundance of water, a precious resource that was previously in short supply.

The streets of the island nation are wet, and even the once-dry Potwork Dam has been rejuvenated. As a result, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) is reevaluating its approach to water management.

“The Water Business Unit is pretty happy with what we are seeing so far. We have not completed our assessments however, as of 1 pm Tuesday we have about 12 feet of water within the Potworks reservoir and there was still water running to that source,” Manager of the Water Business Unit Ian Lewis said during a state media interview.

Several water catchments in the Bendals Valley also collected a fair amount of water.

“In the Bendals Valley, we are not too sure what those quantities will be but, we are hoping that we see something similar or even to have those resources completely full”.

The newly discovered water reserves in the Potworks reservoir can provide a daily supply of at least 1.5 million gallons of water.

Additionally, Bendals Valley contributes an extra 300,000 gallons per day.

This increase in water availability is expected to relieve the current restrictions that have been imposed.

According to Lewis, once the systems are operational, the rationing schedule could be relaxed within a week or two, ensuring an ample water supply for the next six months or more.