George Henry, Gleaner Writer
SPALDINGS, Clarendon:
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS and a busted main pipe has left residents of Santa Hill, Bullocks and Norty, near Spaldings in North West Clarendon, without water in their taps for over eight months.
"The pipes were damaged during a road repair project, which took place just before the general election in October last year, and there has been no effort to repair them since," said Robert Green, president of the Santa Hill Citizens Association.
He said he has been buying water to fill a 4,000-gallon water storage tank at his home but other residents were not so fortunate as they have had to be seeking alternative sources of water.
According to Mr. Green, the situation has become burdensome to scores of residents, some of whom either have to purchase from private sources, the National Water Commission (NWC) or depend on rivers and streams in their area. But he pointed out that this posed some health risks.
Mr. Green charged that despite several efforts made to have the National Water Commission visit the areas and to correct the problem nothing has been done, as their calls seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
"I have written to them about the situation and despite my not getting any water from their source, every month they keep sending me a water bill. After I wrote them they sent a technician to come and read my meter. I have asked them to remove the meter and suspend the system until water returns but they have refused to do so and the bills are still coming. The last bill I received was for the period May 5 to June 3 this year and that bill was for $3,154.57," said Mr. Green.
Meanwhile Parish Manager for the National Water Commission in Clarendon Anthony Cornwall said the lines to the affected areas are now old and no longer useful. He said water was not being pumped to Santa Hill and other areas served by the booster pump at Zinc Shop because it made no sense to have thousands of gallons going to waste, which would at the same time damage the road that was recently repaired.
The NWC Parish Manager pointed out that efforts were being made to have the busted main replaced. He said it would require over two miles of pipelines and that a project, which value over $2 million has been submitted for approval.
