Letter of the Day | Different hurricane, same JPS issues
Published:Monday | July 8, 2024 | 12:05 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
The Hope Pastures community of about 240 houses was established and planned with a special law in 1962 as a model scheme with underground electricity services. One aim was to show that damages caused to overhead distribution utility systems could be avoided. The Jamaica Public Service Co (JPS) was paid by the original residents to install the system. However, an asset was given by the Government on April 24, 1962 to JPS and at all times thereafter for installing, maintaining, repairing and replacing the system.
Despite efforts of the JPS to replace the working underground system by installing cheaper overhead electricity in the scheme, most houses in Hope Pastures are still supplied by a working underground power supply, and many of these houses experienced no load shedding or power cuts during and after any hurricanes, including Hurricane Beryl.
Similarly, category 4 hurricane Dean impacted Jamaica in 2007 causing damage to the overhead distribution network of the JPS, and US$7,147,340 compensation was awarded to the company. Hope Pastures’ service was not damaged.
In The Gleaner article of April 14, 2019, JPS’ Emanuel DaRosa and Winsome Callum spoke about losses above J$9 billion from electricity theft of its overhead cables; while they keep trying to bring all of Hope Pastures onto the overhead system to widen the scope of theft and hurricane damage. The JPS does not understand the security of the underground cables. It keeps doing the same things, gets the same results, and keeps wondering why. “The more things change in Jamaica, the more they remain the same,” said Wilmot Perkins.
Monopoly makes rates high, so the solution is to find a competing company that offers islandwide solar and underground service to all who request it. We need a company that understands the consumer. Competition increases our knowledge and perspective of possibilities, with expectations of better standards of service.
Hope Pastures is the model scheme the government intended it to be with safe and reliable electricity. Normal Manley, in relation to underground wiring when piloting the Electricity Bill through the House of Representatives in 1962, said: “But look at the state of the city, the installation of the city and look at the conditions of supply that prevail in the city. Look in these modern times at every single street in Kingston with these unsightly overhead wires, many carrying high-tension voltage under conditions that are actually dangerous to the public. Look at the problem that confronts the city fathers, where, if they intend to build a sidewalk, they face the problem that every place that may be preserved for a sidewalk has; a line of poles right along it in the city…
That is the legacy of neglect in the past and the manner in which we allowed this vast important business to conduct itself.”
Should we allow JPS to continue with this?
JENNIFER MAMBY ALEXANDER