Magil Palms laments infrequent, discoloured water supply
Published:Friday | July 17, 2020 | 12:12 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Residents of the Magil Palms housing scheme in Old Harbour, St Catherine, are expressing great dissatisfaction with their water supply being provided by a private company.
Bemoaning that what used to be a once-a-month lock-off has now blossomed into a nightmare lasting for several days per week, the residents say the infrequent supply is just one of a myriad problems. They told The Gleaner that they also have to contend with discolouration of the commodity and high chlorine levels as well as issues with the taste and smell of the water being sent to their homes by water company Can-Cara. In addition, they raised questions about the accuracy of meter readings.
“My issue is the water is going off too much,” Kenneth McFarlane complained. “Sometime you get up, the water gone for the whole day, and we don’t expect that from this scheme.”
McFarlane said: “One of the main things with this water is it’s full of chlorine throughout. It has destroyed my electrical kettle. In the mornings when you boil water in the pot, you still have to strain it because of the residue.”
The resident told us that when the water supply is disrupted, it is often discoloured when it returns – almost black.
“The other day it go away, and when it came back, the washing machine was full with black dirt,” McFarlane said.
Other residents say they refuse to drink the water because of the concerns, opting instead to purchase the commodity elsewhere.
“One of the most nagging issue is that I experience itches whenever I use the water,” a neighbour chimed in.
The Magil Palms residents say that power outages also interfere with their water supply.
“They say the pump is tied to JPS (Jamaica Public Service) electricity, and they need electricity to operate the pump. However, sometimes the light comes back and the water doesn’t. They have to call somebody to turn it back on as it doesn’t always just chip in.”
As a result, several residents have opted to install water tanks, but that hasn’t done much to quench their concerns.
“I have an empty tank around there. I changed out my tank, and the things that came out of that tank was horrendous. The condition inside the tank – a whole heap of silt – and if you catch a container with water and put your hands in it, you will come up with some silt,” a resident told The Gleaner.
One woman told The Gleaner that the problem has been around for roughly six of the eight years she has lived in Magil Palms and is calling for Can-Cara to address the issues.
“Sometimes it white, white, white. You have to catch it and put it down, and when you look, the thing settle at the bottom. If you catch water from any pipe and lock it up for two days, it smell like sewage,” she said.
While our news team was in the housing scheme, an employee of Can-Cara drove up to a resident and asked to collect water samples. The Gleaner was told that the same employee was conducting the same research last week.
When The Gleaner sought audience with Can-Cara about the issues, we were asked to send email queries. However, the response from Can-Cara was that they would have to make checks with their area office, which serves the residents of Magil Palms. Nothing else was said up to press time.