By Cedric Johnson, Gleaner WriterWESTMORELAND:
AS WIDE areas of Westmoreland continue to be affected severely by the ongoing drought, members of the Westmoreland Parish Council have appealed for water to be trucked to these drought-stricken districts. However, Patrick Daley, the operations manager of the National Water Commission (NWC) told the Parish Councillors that most of the Rapid Response water units in the parish are in a state of disrepair.
At the monthly meeting of the council's public health committee, the councillors said some of the areas facing a crisis are Friendship, Water Works, Deans Valley, Bath Mountain, Cornwall Mountain, Jerusalem Mountain, Lennox Bigwoods, New Works and Ashton.
Some councillors say one of the immediate effects of the water crisis is that some schools might be forced to close while some have pointed out that farming activity has come to a halt and livestock are facing death.
"The Chantilly Basic School in Lennox Bigwoods is about to be closed because there's no water there," said councillor Trevor Jamieson. In responding, Mr. Daley said the Ministry of Education and the Rapid Response unit had worked out an arrangement whereby schools in drought-affected areas would be constantly supplied but because the trucks have fallen into disrepair, this cannot be done.
Karl Brooks, councillor of the Little London division said despite the critical shortage, water is being wasted in the Farm Pen and Delveland districts due to broken NWC mains. Other councillors supported his claims, pointing out that broken pipelines can be seen all over the place.
LOSING BIG MONEY
Earlier this week, Fitzroy Calame, deputy parish manager of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), be-moaned the fact that vegetable farmers around the parish have been losing big money on both the local and foreign markets due to the fact that the dry conditions have prevented them from planting their crops.
"There's a heavy demand for vegetables including scotch bonnet pepper which has a strong overseas market. The exporters are down on us but we cannot supply," said Mr. Calame who disclosed that the produce is fetching as much as $100 a pound.
