THE EXTENDED drought now affecting the island has been taking a toll on several parishes, which are reporting a shortage of water.
But according to Dr. Kenneth Baugh, Member of Parliament for West Central St. Catherine, the situation has reached 'rock bottom' in his constituency.
"The threat of disease has become imminent as people are forced to turn to surface water of questionable quality for regular use," he said.
The MP said people in the constituency were suffering extreme misery and inconvenience, which has heightened in the dry months of the year. This water crisis, he said, has been interrupting the attendance of children at school.
He said all the water supply systems in the parish, which belong to both the National Water Commission (NWC) and the St. Catherine Parish Council, have not been repaired for the past 20 years and were in need of upgrading.
SYSTEMS IN BAD CONDITION
"All the systems are in bad condition. They have not been meeting the needs of the communities. We need action now!" he told The Gleaner.
The communities affected include Kitson Town, Point Hill, Macca Tree, Garden Hill, Dover, among others.
Dr. Baugh has called on the Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Housing, Transport and Works with responsibility for water, to fulfil the government's commitment to allocate pipes from China and pumps from India and expedite rural water supply schemes.
Attempts to get a response from Dr. Fenton Ferguson, State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works with responsibility for water were unsuccessful as our newsroom was told that he was not in office.
Charles Buchanan, public relations manager at the NWC, admitted that several parishes have been experiencing drought conditions but that the NWC has been trucking water to the affected areas.
But Dr. Baugh insisted that the NWC's Rapid Response trucks were inadequate and oftentimes do not meet the needs of the communities. He said what is needed is an immediate overhaul of the water supply systems.
