‘People shouldn’t expect there will be water in their taps every day’: why is St Lucia running out of water?

Despite millions of dollars of investment, crumbling infrastructure and erratic rainfall are pushing the Caribbean island to the brink

When St Lucia’s rainy season began in May, Madeleine Solomon, 55, breathed a sigh of relief. For months, she had been feeling the squeeze of an intermittent water supply that disrupted normal hygiene and food preparation, forcing families like hers to rely on water tanks, rainwater harvesting and bottled water bought from private companies.

“I’m thanking God every day because our situation was really bad,” she says.