Water by March 10
over 3 years in Jamaica Observer
HANOVER, Jamaica - The National Water Commission (NWC) has assured residents of Chester Castle, Haughton Grove, Shettle Wood and nearby communities that they will have water flowing from their pipes by March 10. There has been a disruption in service for more than a month, prompting two protests that disrupted traffic across parishes."While attempting to reinstall the pump, it was discovered that further work will need to be carried out at the facility to guarantee the safety of the equipment and the reliability of the water supply. This development has forced the NWC to revise the date for the resumption of operations to March 10, 2022," the company stated in a notice to residents. Service was initially supposed to be restored over the weekend.The update followed Monday's protest by residents of Haughton Grove who blocked several roads in the area as they demanded piped or trucked water. Traffic ground to a halt between St James and Westmoreland, forcing some motorists to utilise other routes to access Bethel Town and Grange Hill.Commanding officer for the Hanover Police Division, Superintendent Sharon Beeput, told the Jamaica Observer that her team was kept busy all day clearing trees and old appliances residents placed along the road. The police were assisted by the Hanover Fire Department.Protestors vowed to remain on the streets unless water was trucked to them while they wait for the NWC to complete repairs. On Monday lawmen and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hanover Eastern Dave Brown began making arrangements for trucking of the commodity to begin.Monday's demonstration followed one staged by residents of Chester Castle last Thursday.Both communities are supplied by the Shettle Wood water supply system.Councillor for the Chester Castle Division Fearon DeCarish is of the view that all this could have been avoided if the NWC had used the time when the pump was out of service to do the necessary concrete work on the water supply system.DeCarish, who has brought the water issue to the attention of Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, the NWC and the Hanover Municipal Corporation, said he stands in support of the residents. He noted that while there have been week-long service disruptions over the years, this is the first time that the potable water supply has been disrupted for a month and a half."It is not a water shortage why the pump is out, you know. They have one pump operating for the division and [sections of] Westmoreland. I have gone to meeting after meeting to ask for an additional pump," said DeCarish.