Crocs drive fear into Riverton Meadows residents

Lamenting that they have been neglected in development plans, residents of Riverton Meadows in St Andrew are wishing the authorities – and not the crocodiles roaming the community – would pay more attention to them.

“Dem downgrade we down here, enuh. Them say down here a the worse place,” resident Elizabeth Thompson told The Gleaner, emphasising that the people from Riverton “have ambition and like good things”.

She added: “We wah live better, we wah live comfortable, too.”

Among the many complaints that the residents have is the presence of crocodiles throughout the community. The said that the reptiles sometimes lie across the roads and prey on stray dogs as well as pigs and chickens being reared by farmers.

“Dem need fi have a special place fi crocodiles alone. Dem just come tek dem and then a night-time, you see dem bring dem back go let dem go inna di swamp down a back,” Thompson alleged.

She said the animals have been driving fear into the residents, including children, especially when they lie with their mouths wide open to cool down their body temperature. She said that sometimes they are also hidden by the bushes along the gully, with persons passing by unaware of their presence.

Dave Pitter said that the gullies in the area need to be cleaned more frequently.

“We can’t go uptown and see no water a run so in a Beverly Hills and Jacks Hill. As the gully bus them clean it,” he said.

TERROR

At times, up to six crocodiles come out of the gullies and on to the roads in front of houses, the residents said.

The terror is magnified when there is a power cut at night.

“When the light gone, the devil come out,” Althea Thomas said in reference to gunmen as she echoed the requests of other residents, asking the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to help them regularise their electricity connections.

“Come in, man, and tell we how we go ‘bout we light. We willing to pay ‘cause we tired a the darkness and we tired fi run go pop down the wire,” said Thomas, explaining that the light is essential to reduce dangers at night.

Last month, the JPS said illegal connections were sometimes to blame for power cuts due to excessive usage from non-paying customers. The company said that Riverton alone extracts about US$2.2 million worth of electricity illegally per year.

Emphasising that Riverton has always been a swamp, St Andrew Western Member of Parliament Anthony Hylton is encouraging the residents who feel as if they are in danger to evacuate the places where the crocodiles frequent.

“These crocodiles have been there longer than the people … . Don’t go close to the crocodiles’ habitat because these are protected species,” Hylton warned, encouraging residents to report all incidents to the National Environment and Planning Agency.

Hylton added that community development committee meetings have been ongoing to inform and assist residents to acquire lands and regularise their electricity connections.

jonielle.daley@gleanerjm.com