Government taking steps to support hoteliers affected by Negril water crisis

WESTERN BUREAU:

Hospitality stakeholders who suffered financial losses during the heightened period of the ongoing severe water crisis in Hanover and Westmoreland are to receive some level of support from the Government.

While the details and methods of compensation are still being worked out, stakeholders have welcomed the initiative, hailing it as thoughtful.

“It would definitely be welcome because we have truly suffered,” said Gail Jackson, managing director and owner of Tree House Resort in Negril, Westmoreland.

She told The Gleaner that the Government’s intervention on behalf of the Negril business community is timely and should consider tangible components.

“It would be nice to identify things that we can get a concession or rebate on,” said Jackson, who operates her 70-room property on the Norman Manley Boulevard, commonly called ‘Beach Road’.

She said such items could include access to rapid response water trucks, and waters tanks which can be used to enhance storage capacity for emergencies such as this water crisis.

“Even something to alleviate the money that we pay for trucking water. I have done over $4 million this year so far,” the Negril Tree House Resort owner noted.

Since March this year, stakeholders in the tourism resort of Negril have reported that they have spent well over $200 million on trucking water, which they argue is about 50 per cent more than what they usually pay for water.

Laudable plan

Lenbert Williams, managing director of the One Love Bus Tour, told The Gleaner that the Government’s plan to compensate hoteliers is laudable.

“That is commendable because a lot of people suffer from some serious losses and for the Government to be thinking about reimbursing the people this is sensitive and caring. I therefore lift my hat to the Government on this initiative,” Williams said.

“Any reimbursement or any money to shore up the people’s business which has suffered losses ... then it must be welcome,” said Williams.

Both Jackson and Williams were responding to questions from The Gleaner following an announcement by Senator Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio with responsibility for water, environment, climate change, green and blue economies.

“I had discussions with the prime minister (Andrew Holness) and in another couple weeks we’ll also seek to (roll out) a business intervention that the prime minister is looking to make for those who have been impacted severely from a cash flow perspective,” Samuda told stakeholders during a meeting on water resilience in western Jamaica at the Grand Palladium Hotel in Hanover on Wednesday.

He said the Government is now doing the analysis to help determine their methods of intervention.

“We’ve asked for some information from the NWC (National Water Commission). I would have noted some of the presentations made by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association both at chapter level and nationally,” the water minister said.

“We’ll be looking at those numbers to ensure that we are able to help small businesses in particular along that corridor. We are doing the analysis to see what the sort of impact really was so that we are able to tailor a solution that we believe will assist greatly with business continuity.”

He said the Government understands the gravity and impact the crisis has been having on the continuation of businesses within space and that it will continue to make the appropriate investments to improve water distribution.

“We appreciate that this period has been very difficult. The western belt is very important to us, economically and socially,” Samuda observed.”We are making the investment at an unprecedented rate without loans to have our infrastructure catch up with the needs of the western end.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the statements of Senator Matthew Samuda. His comments suggested that the Government is contemplating various measures to support the hoteliers.