West End residents fearful water crisis could spring health issue

WESTERN BUREAU:

STAKEHOLDERS LIVING and operating businesses on West End Road in Negril, Westmoreland, are fearful that a major health issue could result from them not having access to an adequate supply of potable water running through their pipes for up to a month.

That fear has surfaced because the daily production of seven million gallons of water at the Logwood treatment plant served by the Fish River and the Blue Hole systems is now at 55 per cent, which has resulted in the National Water Commission (NWC) regulating its flow to customers.

“We would at least expect a little water, at least a couple days per week, so we can flush our toilets and take a shower,” said George Strohm in expressing his frustration in a Gleaner interview.

According to him, the water crisis now plaguing the space began before the Christmas holidays but intensified into the new year.

“We haven’t had a drop of water from the water main for over 24 days now,” said Strohm. “It is becoming a dire situation, and it is a hygiene and a health problem.”

Steve Morris, chief public health inspector for Westmoreland, says the health department is aware of the challenges residents are facing by not having a steady supply of water and has since embarked on an educational campaign to help prevent any form of illness or disease as a result of insanitary practices.

“We have started to advise residents through flyers through our health education unit to inform residents how to treat water and to inform residents that if they are buying trucked water, they are to ensure that these suppliers are licensed by the health department and what to look for when buying water,” Morris said.

Elaine Allen-Bradley, President of the Negril Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), is pondering a lawsuit against the NWC for better service, as the current situation, she said, is an added burden on people’s mental health and nobody seems to have the solution.

“To be honest, we can’t give up. We have to fight, and the only other thing is that maybe together we, the citizens of Negril take out a lawsuit against the NWC,” Allen-Bradley reasoned.

She is of the view that the government should find more reliable and goal-oriented individuals to replace the existing pool of managers at the state-owned water entity.

“Personally, I think all the management of NWC needs to be fired because they are not doing their jobs,” the NCCI head said, noting that they are not providing the service for which persons are being billed nonetheless.

IMPLEMENT SCHEDULE

Delano Williams, acting corporate public relations manager at the NWC acknowledged that water supply to several Westmoreland and Hanover areas is now impacted by a decline in inflows to the Logwood treatment plant.

“Based on this reality, the NWC has been actively regulating water supply to the numerous areas with the best of efforts to ensure that most areas are adequately served from the average of four million gallons that are available each day,” Williams told The Gleaner when contacted for a response to stakeholders’ concerns.

Continuing, he said, “In so doing, the Commission implemented a schedule to serve most of Negril from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. This typically ensures that once there are no disruptions in operations, approximately 16–18 hours of supply is provided to Norman Manley Boulevard and sections of West End daily.”

Williams further shared that the NWC has also noted that there are some sections of West End as well as Westland Mountain which require special regulations due to the elevation. These areas, he said, are supplied on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays via the Westland Mountain tank.

To alleviate the concerns of stakeholders, Williams stated that a similar approach is also in place for the Whitehall and Orange Hill communities that are supplied on the days following the filling of the Whitehall tank on Mondays and Fridays.

The systems supply more than one zone and Williams pointed out that several areas, including some in Hanover, will receive supply every day, but between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays. These include Logwood, March Town, Cave Valley, Santoy, Orange Bay, Green Island, Salt Spring, Cauldwell, Pell River, Prospect, Friendship, New Hope and Orange Hill.

While noting that the majority of areas are now being supplied, the NWC says it has been monitoring its network and also taking customer contacts to better respond to locations that experience challenges.

“Given the realities with the source, the NWC has been asking for the continued partnership of its customers to conserve as best they can in a bid to prolong the available supply of water,” Williams pleaded.

He added that over the past few weeks the NWC team has been meeting with several key stakeholders from the Negril area, and has maintained continuous dialogue with these groups with available updates.

Further, he noted that besides filling tanks, these are then remedied with targeted trucking and/or special regulations to alleviate their water supply shortfall.

“The NWC is also warning against the use of illegal pumps on the lines, the extraction of water from hydrants by truckers, and any use of water that results in undue wastage,” charged Williams.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com