Arthur Green, Gleaner Writer

Yallahs, St. Thomas:

Residents of Dalvey in eastern St. Thomas say they are worried about the quality of their domestic water supply.

According to a number of residents, what appears to be unusually high levels of oil have been evident in their catches and many persons have been experiencing diarrhoea-type symptoms and stomach aches.

Councillor Beresford Steele told The Gleaner that this situation has obtained since October of last year and, despite repeated complaints to the National Water Commission, the community continues to experience these discomforts and threatening health hazards.

Mr. Steele who was speaking to The Gleaner has threatened to take the matter more forcibly to the parish council and said he was prepared to take samples of the commodity for expert analysis.

The councillor said he was making an appeal for something to be done to provide better quality drinking water for the people as he noted that part of the United Nations millennium goals, which the Jamaican government has adopted, is for people to have access to good quality drinking water.