A father and his son from the district of Windsor Castle in St. Mary clean out the tank at their home in preparation for storing some much needed water for the remainder of the already steamy summer. - photos by Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
WHAT'S NOT WORKING:
Residents of Carron Hall, Change Hill and Windsor Castle in western St. Mary are waiting on piped water and are calling for home telephones.
SYNOPSIS OF THE SITUATION:
The non-existence of piped water for many residents from these communities is agonising. For the past several years lines have been installed but the precious commodity has remained an unsolved mystery.
The residents told our news team that before the proliferation of cellular phones they have been calling on the powers that be to provide them with home phones. While some want the land lines for Internet access, others want it for business purposes.
One resident told The Gleaner that his 10-year-old son has never experienced the privilege of piped water. The residents are bewildered by the drought they have been experiencing, as they lamented that they do not understand how nearby reservoirs do not serve their districts but instead supply piped water to districts they say are further away.
A resident from Louisiana, another nearby community, said that the situation is so grave that some days she has to take a taxi with her dirty clothes and take them to a community that is four miles away to get them washed.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?
It has not been ascertained if the National Water Commission (NWC) or the St. Mary Parish Council is responsible for providing piped water to the suffering communities. Efforts to get a comment from the St. Mary Parish Council were unsuccessful.
WHAT'S THE STATUS?
Charles Buchanan, corporate public relations manager at NWC, said he would be checking to see if the districts fall under the purview of the water company.
CONCLUSION:
I think I need a psychiatric evaluation, I have seen too many of my fellow countrymen suffering from a lack of this basic amenity. If just a mere witness of their suffering and I am sounding this despondent, just imagine the residents themselves. If there is anybody out there who cares, please help these residents. Again, I am forced to say that it is sad when Jamaicans are forced to live like this, especially considering how many billions of dollars have been wasted in the public sector over the years.
A female resident of Waterford, in St. Mary doing her laundry. She told our news team that her community has piped water but it only comes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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.
