Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Councillor of the Chester Castle division in Hanover, Wynter McIntosh, says he is concerned about "serious water problems" in sections of his division, despite the recent implementation of the National Water Commission's Shettlewood Water Supply Project.

"Areas such as Shettlewood, Knockalva, Burnt Ground, and Haughton Grove are properly supplied, but areas like Axe and Adze, Bessie Baker, sections of Success, Land Settlement, Land Top, Red Hill and Cross Pass are suffering, and even though there are some catchment tanks, most of the time, the water in them is not fit for consumption," Councillor McIntosh said.

"Recently, there was no supply in areas like Top Hill, Lovers Lane, Country Road up to the all-age school. The Shettlewood Spring water goes so often that, at times the council has had to be trucking water to the community."

McIntosh added that there were some areas where new pipes have been run and the supply is still low, such as Mount Peto.

"What is interesting is that, when the old pipes were there, the supply of water to Mount Peto used to be much better," he added.

Numerous leaks

McIntosh said water from the Shettlewood Spring was going to waste due to numerous leaks on the newly installed main pipes, and that this had compounded the problem.

"We have spoken to persons from the National Water Commission (NWC) but we have not been getting the kind of attention we need, so we will have to seek to have audience with the regional branch to get redress and, if all fails, go to the minister," McIntosh said. "In some areas of the division, residents have paid their deposit for water connection more than a year now, and to date they have received no water, and I think it is bad on the part of the NWC and we need some serious redress for those persons who have spent their hard-earned cash."

NWC vice-president for the Western Division, Ajaykumar Vijayan, said the project was not fully complete, but that the works should be finished within two months. He said his organisation would be attending to the councillors' and residents' concerns.

"Generally speaking, we have some more work to be done," Vijayan said. "Also, I know that some sections are yet to be commissioned into service, even though the new lines have been put in place because things like pressure testing and sterilisation have not yet taken place. While persons might have seen installation, it does not mean there will be potable water right away."

Addressing claims that residents have had to pay deposits for water connections, Vijayan said he would be probing the matter.

Usually investigate

"We do not normally just take money from persons unless we are sure we are in a position to supply the water," he said. "We do a preliminary investigation and then inform you as to whether this is possible."

The $149-million project commenced in 2006, under the European Union-financed Rural Water Supply Project, to serve approximately 6,000 people in Shettlewood and its environs. The scope of work included the installation of a new intake trunk main to handle 4,000 cubic metres of water daily, a 100-cubic metres capacity tank at Lethe, a new main pump to Chester Castle and the construction of a 600-cubic metre reservoir.