Dr Waul calls for urgent intervention amid water woes in constituency

Going into almost a full week their plight remains unchanged. No water and no idea when service will be restored.

The cause for the disruption and possible timeline for restoration is still unknown with the state-owned utility provider yet to provide any clarity on the matter.

Its only communiqué behind the abrupt disruption in service was an advisory issued Sunday stating its team is still assessing the situation.

But this lack of communication and seemingly lack of urgency to a bubbling water crisis has increased frustrations amongst affected residents.

The NWC has given residents the assurance that water will be delivered by truck to the areas impacted, but Old Harbour News is yet to confirm this despite multiple checks with persons on the ground.

Additionally, the NWC has seemingly abandoned its contingency plan, which would normally see water being diverted from neighboring facilities to mitigate the impact on lives and livelihoods.

It’s an effective strategy for situations like what's happening now, as the approach reduces the need to transport water to residents. This usually happens in the night and at low pressure but nonetheless allow persons to refill their storage tanks and other containers until regular service is restored.

But after five days of no running water in their taps, many residents are now out of water or close to being empty.

Marlie Mount resident Ricardo Thomas is one of many residents who have made contact with the NWC about the situation and shares his experience with Old Harbour News.

“I was told that they cannot provide me with a turnaround time because it’s based on the availability of the truck,” he said after calling the NWC on Sunday before visiting the Spanish Town office yesterday.

Thomas said he was forced to purchase water from a private company which cost him $5,000 to fill his 650 gallon tank. He is among a small group of persons in the position to purchase water privately, the majority unable to do so because of their financial situation.

One irate NWC customer tells Old Harbour News via social media that the situation is “very horrible and when I message NWC they say they are unaware. This can't be with such a big community. The place is hot and splash up bathe naah cut it”.

Indeed, the heat, with temperatures averaging in the mid-30s, is making the lives of these residents a living hell.

Another person wrote on our Instagram page saying: “The lack of water is affecting us in a terrible way and not to mention the audacity of the NWC to be sending out some exorbitant bills to customers. The government needs to investigate the NWC.”

For People’s National Party chairman for St Catherine South Western, Dr Kurt Waul, the NWC's response to the woes of the people is unacceptable.

Noting that he has been bombarded with calls from residents, Dr Waul is calling on Member of Parliament Everald Warmington and portfolio minister for water Matthew Samuda to intervene posthaste.

“I am fully aware that several communities in the Old Harbour area are without water for an extended period. Bowers for several weeks now and recently the communities of Marlie Mount and Church Pen since Friday of last week,” he said in a statement sent to Old Harbour News.

“I have received many calls from concerned citizens lamenting that despite calling the National Water Commission many times they are unable to ascertain when water will return to the pipes or whether or not the National Water Commission will truck water to them.

“Presently more than 10,000 residents are affected which I am sure the member of parliament for southwest St Catherine as well as the water minister is aware of but seem unconcern about the residents’ plight.

“I make an appeal to the National Water Commission to treat the situation with more urgency as this protracted water lock-off has reached crisis proportion especially for the many residents without adequate water storage facilities and those without the means to purchase expensive trucked water.”

The absence of a permanent manager assigned to the NWC Old Harbour Zone is also cause for concern. Since the retirement of Clive Brown four years ago, the position remains unfulfilled for the long term.

Many residents who are aware of Brown’s sterling service during his time believe this matter now being experienced would have been resolved already.

Old Harbour News understands that what caused the Marlie Mount facility to be decommissioned is as a result of a broken part that requires welding. The damage part has since been removed and is being repaired at a facility in Kingston.

But why go to Kingston when two reputable and established machine shops are within 50 metres of the NWC Marlie Mount facility, an option that its former manager would have exercised given the urgency of the situation.

That the damaged part was allegedly taken out Sunday some 36 hours after the system went down, demonstrated a lack of respect for the residents affected as well and highlighted the need for an experienced manager to be employed into the position as a matter of the highest priority.

Old Harbour News has made several attempts to get an update from the NWC without any success.