Dry pipes worry Love Street

Residents of Love Street, a section of Jones Town in Kington, say the area has been suffering from a chronic water shortage for more than two months.

Daniesha Taylor, who has lived in the community for 30 years, is fearful that the lack of water could expose residents to the dreaded COVID-19 disease.

"We nuh have nuh water, and them say you affi have water to keep your hands clean from the virus. No water nuh deh here fi we do that, and plus, we have the younger children them round fi protect, so how we a guh get fi sanitise?" Taylor said.

"Dem say fi keep the surroundings clean, and if you touch anything, yuh hand fi a clean up, but nuh water nuh deh here fi we do that," she added.

Taylor further told THE STAR that residents have to travel lengthy distance to fetch the scarce commodity.

"We affi go way out a Wood Hole Street, and that about 15 to 20 minutes walk from Love Lane, to get little water," she said. "We affi tek we pan dem go full it up and walk back with it; believe me, it hard," she said

"Me make all four trip a day a bring water, but when me affi wash we make more trip than that. Likkle skinny me a struggle with water; all when me pregnant me affi a bring water same way," Taylor added

'Rough and tough'

Mark Barnett, president of the National Water Commission, said yesterday that there is indeed an issue with water being supplied to communities in sections of southern St Andrew, including Arnett Gardens and Jones Town. He said that a project is being developed which will see water being taken from Mona to supply these communities.

"We know we have some deficiency, but it is not a deprivation (that is) deliberate," Barnett said.

For Love Street residents, however, they can't wait long enough for water to start flowing in their pipes on a regular basis.

"It rough and tough pon we, because more while when we go down the road to get water, none is not there, so we affi go way over a next community, and is a tall stretch that fi me walk," said Taylor.

"Me affi have all me baby them a help me carry water, and that nuh right; that is like abuse for them."

Likewise, Shamania Brown, another resident, is pleading for some action to be taken to curb the water crisis.

"We need some water because this virus thing is serious and if we nuh have water, how we a go protect ourselves from corona? It a go kill we off," she said. "It hard fi we, man, and you can just imagine we affi care fi the kids dem same way, because we a the adult to protect them from this ting."

Member of Parliament Mark Golding, in whose South St Andrew constituency Jones Town falls, said he is not aware of this recent water crisis residents have been faced with.

"I'm planning to check it out and call a few persons in the community to find out, and then I will speak to NWC about it, because there is a big difference between how uptown is treated as opposed to those areas with the supply of water, in that if there is going to be a lock-off, they give notice to uptown communities. In my constituency, they don't do the same, and the lock-offs usually last for ages; and to me it's just not fair," he said.