WHITE ROOFS

Geologically speaking, Bermuda originated from submerged oceanic volcanoes.  A limestone cap was formed and due to the porosity of limestone, rainwater very quickly drains right through to mix with the salt water in the water table.  Added to that problem, is that there are no freshwater rivers or lakes - all standing water ponds are brackish in taste because of the mixture of rain water with salt water.   Despite the lack of fresh water, the island is green and lush with tropical plants - because of a consistently high rain fall throughout the year. Bermuda really depends on weather for its survival. 

In order for people to thrive on Bermuda, an ingenious method of accumulating rain water was devised by settlers 350 years ago.   To this day, inhabitants collect water from the roofs of their houses.  Roofs are typically made of white limestone and have grooves or furrows.   These limestone roofs serve to capture the rain water, filter the water as it passes through the limestone grooves (limestone providing bleaching effect), and finally storing it in underground tanks as drinking water.

This is still the most widely used method of creating drinking water in the island where there is no fresh water lake or supply source. The underground reservoirs are generally created under the bedrooms or living room and not under the kitchen or bathrooms. However, in the earlier days the water tanks were created above the ground and were made of stones structures. There is also a system whereby seawater is created into purified water by a process of reverse osmosis (don't ask me how that works).  There are also wells dotted all over the island, but the water can only be used for washing and flushing.

By law, all private dwellings, apartment complexes and businesses must have their own water tanks to collect and store rainfall - the size of which is mandated by local regulations. Homes can store about 14,000 gallons per bedroom.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the exorbitant prices of homes as the cost to build these tanks is the responsibility of each property owner. The import duty of about 30% on all building materials can result in much higher costs for construction.  Also wondering how they keep the water pure and clean in the tanks?

Most property owners keep their roofs in pristine condition so that water remains clean.  It is a common sight to see painters on rooftops making sure that the roofs continue to sparkle and gleam in the sunshine.   Also, we often see Government water trucks that can come and top up water tanks between rain falls. 

Style and substance in all those white roofs.  A sight to behold.