The adorable students from the Anderson Basic School on Whitfield Avenue in Whitfield Town.
WHAT'S NOT WORKING:
RESIDENTS AND students from the constituency of South West St. Andrew, the seat of Prime Minister designate, Portia Simpson Miller, have been experiencing a chronic water supply shortage. The residents of Whitfield Town, off Maxfield Avenue, lament that during the days they have a trickle or no water at all. They complain that the precious but scarce, substance visits the pipes very early in the morning and stays for just a few hours. One resident revealed that the months following the rainy season are the only times they have water flowing through their pipes. However, there are days when no water is in the pipes in their urban St. Andrew community.
Information gleaned from residents suggests that this state of affairs has been a recurring decimal for at least 25 years.
SYNOPSIS OF THE SITUATION
Just imagine an 80-year-old woman being forced to get up in the wee hours of the morning just to get some water from her pipe because the tap water dries up before day breaks. That's the sad story of Ida Bernard's life and tragic tale of so many other residents from Sweattenham Road and Whitfield Avenue. Were it not for community camaraderie, Miss Bernard, who has been living in the community and experiencing the water woes for two decades, would not get any water to do the basic things such as bathing. "Sometimes it come late at nights (and) if me can't come outside and catch it somebody catch it for me," the senior citizen explained.
In a letter to Tyrone's Watch screaming for help, Shawna Baker, a resident, revealed that her five-year-old child has never seen water coming from their shower faucet or witness the flushing of their toilet without the use of a pan. Maureen Lennon, another resident said, "If mi bathe under a shower (now) mi dead." Miss Lennon said the water woes have forced her to rent a handcart and go to a nearby community to get water.
Two schools on Whitfield Avenue - the Anderson Basic School and the Whitfield All Age School - are also adversely affected by the perennial problem. Teachers from the former have to stop teaching to wash the hands of their students and flush the toilets because the little ones are not able to manage it. Students from the latter are not so fortunate and have to dip up their own water from the containers in the bathroom and - do the flushing themselves.
Eugennie McLaren, principal of Whitfield All-Age told The Gleaner that two weeks ago she paid a bill in excess of $20,000 despite not seeing a constant flow from the tap. National Water Commission (NWC) made promises to remedy the situation but the dry taps remain the same. Miss McLaren said the children are asked to bring their own drinking water to school. The NWC trucks water to the school once per week said Joy Morris, principal of Anderson Basic School.
Checks also revealed that the Member of Parliament, Portia Simpson Miller's constituency office, which is also on Whitfield Avenue, was not exempt from the chronic water shortage.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?
The NWC. When we contacted the water company, our news team was told to contact Michael Dunn, area manager for the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Thomas.
WHAT'S THE STATUS?
Mr. Dunn promised to have emailed The Gleaner a response over the weekend. Either the e-mail got stuck in Internet traffic or the area manager failed to make good on his word. Residents said they have even blocked Maxfield Avenue and protested but there is still no water in their pipes. They even said that they have "made several verbal requests to Mrs Simpson Miller. The residents said they have also petitioned the NWC, "which has also proven futile."
CONCLUSION
If water is life, as the NWC's slogan says, then the residents of South East St. Andrew are on life support. Urgent action is needed and Prime Minister designate Simpson Miller needs to ensure that the process is expedited. Children should not be forced to flush toilets at school with pans. Additionally, the youngsters should not have to bear the foul stench that stains and emanates from a bathroom that has no running water. Teachers from the Anderson Basic School should not have to be disrupting their lessons every time a child needs to use the bathroom. This is grossly unacceptable. Somebody should give an account of why Jamaicans are being forced to live under these deprived situations in these modern times.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Tell us about problems in your community. We will visit and help to lobby for action. Write to: Tyrone Reid, the Gleaner Company Limited, 7 North Street, P.O. Box 40, Kingston; Fax: 922-6223, Telephone: 922-3400 Ext. 6364 or e-mail: tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com.
