Left: This woman from the community of Free Hill in St. Ann pulls off a balancing act as she returns from the 'hole at the foot of the hill' where most residents from the community get water to wash their clothes. At Right: A resident of Free Hill in St. Ann scoops up water with a bucket from the only constant source of water in the district.
WHAT'S NOT WORKING?
AT ANY given time of day, residents of the quiet district of Free Hill in St. Ann are without piped water. Then at nights, the residents cower in fear because of insufficient street lights.
SYNOPSIS OF THE SITUATION:
Kenisha Diedrick, 28, remembers the last time she saw water coming through the taps in her community. She was eight years old then. Now, Miss Diedrick has an eight-year-old daughter and she has never seen water flowing through the pipes in her home.
For some time now, the residents get the life-saving liquid from a hole at the foot of a hill which gets muddy easily. While some residents drink the water, others use it only for household purposes.
One resident said that people from the community wash their clothes by the famous hole. She said sometimes there are as many as fifty persons washing simultaneously.
The Free Hill residents said that they fear walking along certain sections of the roadway that runs through their community at nights because of poor lighting. Already three women have been raped since the start of the year, according to residents.
Even route taxi operators express fear about picking up passengers at the stop at the entrance of the community because it is too dark at nights. Community members coming home at certain hours have to charter a taxi, which costs them $200, which is $170 more than using the route taxis.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?
Winsome Callum, corporate communications manager at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), said that "Every single (street) light installed has to be authorised by the parish council".
Charles Buchanan, corporate public relations manager at the National Water Commission, told The Gleaner that he would be looking into the matter to ascertain if the community falls under the purview of the Commission.
WHAT'S THE STATUS?
Although admitting that the complaints that women are being raped is a rather serious concern, Ms. Callum said that the JPS could not just take it up on itself to install street lights without prior approval from the local authority.
However, she said matters relating to maintenance of the existing street lights should be reported directly to the JPS.
Efforts to get a comment from Mayor Delroy Giscombe at the St. Ann Parish Council were unsuccessful.
CONCLUSION:
We must come to grips with the reality that the days when an individual could walk the streets of Jamaica, especially in the rural parts of the island, and not have to worry about being harmed are long gone. Street lights are a necessity. So the local authorities need to move swiftly to address this matter through the JPS.
On the water issue, it is unacceptable that in the 21st century, people are being forced to live without piped water. It is most inhumane and the matter must be addressed with the utmost urgency. The situation is especially mind-boggling because years ago, when we were less advanced, the residents of Free Hill enjoyed tap water. Why are we moving backwards?
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, Kingston; Fax: 922-6223, Telephone: 922-3400 Ext. 6364 or Email: tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com.
