Mandeville's fire and water woes
published: Wednesday | September 17, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE APPROACH being taken to solve the problem of fires in Mandeville is incorrect and it will lead to nothing. The inadequacy of the fire service and the water supply is an enormous problem which cannot be solved overnight. The mere installation of spare pumps will not solve the water supply problem. The entire system, including storage and distribution, will have to be upgraded in order to adequately meet the needs of the growing population.
The NWC needs to develop a plan and the estimates required to give Mandeville and the entire parish of Manchester an adequate and reliable water supply. The Parish Council should do likewise for the fire service. They should not try to do this by themselves, but they should employ the necessary expertise. A good fire service goes much beyond improving the Mandeville and Christiana fire stations. In every town where the size of its population warrants a police station and a post office, there should be a fire station. Manchester, therefore, needs at least another half a dozen fire stations for it to have an adequate fire service.
The existing situation requires close collaboration between the fire service, the NWC and the Rapid Response Unit to best manage it. Now is not the time to play the blame game. It will only worsen the already bad situation. The focus should not be only on Mandeville. The hydrants in the outlying districts and throughout the parish should also be serviced. This should not be just a one-off situation but a plan for the ongoing maintenance of the hydrants. Additional hydrants are also needed to meet the rapid development that is taking place in the parish.
