The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) has unveiled a revitalized national water conservation campaign titled “Water Works Wonders! Every Drop Counts! Preserve It!” The initiative features two animated teenage siblings who aim to educate Antiguans about responsible water usage through relatable scenarios.
Anazette Reynolds, Corporate Communications Manager at APUA told Observer that the campaign builds upon previous conservation efforts while taking a fresh approach.
“It is not the first water conservation campaign that APUA would have had,” Reynolds noted. “In the past, APUA would have utilized Drippy and Hydro as mascots in their water saving campaign. With this now, what we wanted to do, we wanted to humanize the characters.”
The new campaign introduces Piper and Dewey Waterson, teenage siblings with contrasting attitudes toward water usage. According to Reynolds, the characters were designed to reflect common behaviors.
“Piper is not so much water conscious as so many of us are that we utilize water, not really studying the fact that we are wasting it in some of our daily activities,” Reynolds explained. “His sister, Dewey, is actually encouraging him or calling him out on some of the things that he’s doing.”
The campaign will feature animated videos depicting everyday scenarios where water is wasted, such as leaving the tap running while brushing teeth or discarding partially consumed water. Reynolds reiterated the core message, “We’re just hoping to just resonate some of these tips to the different age demographics from young to old of how we all can work together in preserving water as it being life.”
APUA acknowledges that the campaign comes amid ongoing water supply challenges, and Reynolds was candid about the potential public response: “We do expect some pushback with it from the general public. We do expect that as the messages are played on a daily basis, that persons would encourage each other to just conserve or to use it smarter, to reuse.”
She addressed anticipated criticism directly, saying: “We do expect some negative pushback from some persons who may say APUA is asking us to conserve maybe what we’re not getting on a daily basis. But we are still along this journey of solving that, and that is happening very soon.”
Reynolds highlighted significant infrastructure investments underway, including the expansion of reverse osmosis plants despite their substantial operational costs.
“Our RO plants utilize a lot of energy as well and the general maintenance is highly cost-intensive,” she said. The utility is also upgrading to smart meters that will “actually read the usage very accurately,” part of a comprehensive modernization that includes “upgrading water, the pipeline infrastructure, water storage tanks, updating our meters as well.”
The multi-platform campaign will feature a jingle for local radio, animated videos, school visits, and community outreach initiatives. “On a whole, we want to get the nation water smart,” Reynolds said.
She also sought to reassure residents about APUA’s commitment to addressing water supply issues. “I just want to let everyone know that at APUA we are working day and night to solve our water challenges. It is something that we are well aware of and will not be the final say of what APUA is.”
She concluded with a call for collective action: “As a people, we will all need to work together to save and preserve water, as water is life.”
