The Ministry of Public Works have announced plans to temporarily restrict government piped water service as the island deals with a long stretch of dry weather,

And while recent rain has brought some relief, a statement from the Ministry of Public Works said new measures must be put in place to increase the amount of potable water available for truckers.

A ministry spokeswoman said: “There remains a large portion of the community who are solely reliant upon trucked water and are now in critical need of water.

“This backlog has resulted in residents experiencing long delays for a single load of water. The vast majority of the island depends on trucked water and in times of extreme dry weather this need increases dramatically.”

In an effort to address the issue, the Ministry said it would extend the access hours of water truck outlets at North Shore, Frog Lane and Port Royal, starting on Monday to help the water truckers.

But in order to do so, a majority of government’s piped customers will be turned off for approximately a week at a time.

“The majority of piped customers across the island have had access to water on demand, and will continue to have this ability during the periods that the piped service is on,” the spokeswoman said. “Piped customers are encouraged to fill their tanks leading up to these outage periods and monitor their water levels throughout them.

“This restriction of piped water service will not be applied to essential customers such as the King Edward Memorial VII Hospital, Cedar Park and Mary Victoria estates, who are solely reliant on the piped water supply. The ministry will monitor the situation and repeat these measures if and when it is necessary until this severe dry weather period subsides.”

The schedule of piped water supply service will be communicated through press releases and also be posted on the government website, and government piped water customers will be given credit for the monthly fee charged during this time of restricted access.

The ministry urged the public to conserve water, monitor their tank levels and order water as and when they need it.

The public is also advised to:

• Not order more water than is necessary,

• Carefully control the flow of piped water into your tank to avoid overfilling,

• Check and quickly repair leaking faucets, toilets, and water appliances,

• Minimise the number of times you flush the toilet,

• Use well water for toilet flushing and car washing,

• Take quick showers, not full baths,

• Use a basin of water at a time instead of letting a tap run for brushing teeth and shaving,

• Do not let water overflow or run after use,

• Minimise use of washing machines and dishwashers,

• Wash full laundry loads or set the washer to appropriate load size,

• Reduce the watering of lawns and outdoor plants and filling pools.

“The Water and Sewage Section of the Ministry of Public Works are continuing to modify and monitor their plant to produce as much water as possible, as well as monitor their distribution systems to minimise system losses (leaks),” the spokeswoman added.

“The Ministry of Public Works and the Bermuda Water Truckers Association would like to thank the public for their co-operation and pledge to meet the needs of our community.”