Dry taps, deep crisis

PORT MARIA, St Mary — For Annette Tullouch-Tracey, turning on a pipe and seeing water flow is a luxury she has not known in the 15 years she has called Frontier Heights Phase 2 her home. Tullouch-Tracey, who is the treasurer of the Frontier Heights Citizens’ Association, told the Jamaica Observer that she is not alone in being frustrated with the lack of water. “The water situation is very bad. We have to buy water from the truck all these years and it is very expensive. This has been going on since they gave us the lot up there. We have never seen water in the pipe from the time we live there until now,” said Tullouch-Tracey. She told the Observer that what was already a daily water struggle has now become a crisis with the island in the grip of a debilitating drought. “With the drought that is on things are getting very bad, because if we need water and call the water truck, it takes some days before we get it. When we get the rain we would catch the water for domestic use but now we have to buy water for everything, and it is very expensive.” Tullouch-Tracey added. She pointed out that for years, residents have hoped for relief and that seemed likely 2018 when a team from the National Water Commission (NWC) visited the community. “They came up there about eight years ago and found the pipe laterals and said that they were going to work on the water and up to now we cannot see anything,” a frustrated Tullouch-Tracey said.

One of the many empty water drums in Frontier Heights and Frontier Heights Phase 2, St Mary. (Photo: Ingrid Henry)

The entrance to the piped-water-starved Frontier Heights Phase 2 in St Mary Central. (Photo: Ingrid Henry)

According to Tullouch- Tracey, when residents seek answers from the NWC they are told that it is waiting on the Housing Association of Jamaica to hand over the scheme to them. She said those hardest hit by the lack of piped water are the most vulnerable residents. “This is very bad for the elderly and children because they have to go to other places to catch water and it is very hard to walk up the hill with it. The standpipe is a few metres from the houses and many times when you go there, there is no water or the pressure is very low,” Tullouch-Tracey claimed. The citizens’ association executive said cost of survival is staggering for residents of the small community. “For the truck to bring a load of water up there is $15,000 and this might last for two or three weeks depending on how many persons are in the family. Sometimes we cannot afford to buy water when it is finished [and we] have to talk to the truck driver and trust [credit] the water,” Tullouch- Tracey said with a heavy voice as she issued a plea to the authorities for assistance. “Right now we would like the NWC, or the Member of Parliament [People’s National Party’s Omar Newell] to try their best to help us along, with the parish council. “We are suffering and they say water is life but they are taking the life out of us. Please… [Minister of Water Matthew Samuda], we would appreciate it if you can do something for us. We have been waiting for too long now,” added Tullouch Tracey. Vi c e - p resident of the Frontier Heights Citizens’ Association Celia Pryce-Valentine said she has lived in the National Housing Trust (NHT) scheme for more than 47 years and has not received a drop of piped water in her home for more than six years. According to Pryce- Valentine, she orders trucked water as needed, while residents of the community are grateful whenever the rain falls to fill their tanks. “But after the rain, the suffering continues [as] the tanks run dry and the pipes remain empty,” said Pryce-Valentine. “When we complain to the NWC we are met with a long list of excuses. A lot of nonsensical reasons [such as], ‘the tank needs to be replaced, other persons were given access to water from our line, persons illegally attaching to our system, not enough pressure due to a blockage in the main’,” added Pryce-Valentine. She charged that the NWC attempted to fix the blockage but the work left residents shocked and angry. “If you are to visit you will see a two-inch pipe they used to bypass the blockage instead of unblocking the main pipe running in the water table. They responded by attempting to use a bandage on a sore,” said Pryce-Valentine as she claimed that the result is a daily financial and emotional torture for every family in the scheme. “Most residents resort to buying water privately or ordering water, so it is costly and stressful as waiting time for the ordered water is long. So it is affecting us negatively,” she explained. “The cost of water depends on the size of your storage. Mine cost $15,000 for a single load of 1,800 gallons. If I order water it takes longer than 10 working days, if I do not sit and wait for NWC for delivery. I order water every week because of the long wait to receive it. Plus we do not get trucked water unless we protest and go straight to management,” a frustrated Pryce-Valentine said as she added her voice to those calling on the authorities to address their plight. “I would plead with them to replace the tank as it is an important part of our system. Give the other scheme their own system and take them off ours. Clear the blockages so the pressure will go back to normal, and schedule a shared recorded timetable for trucking water every three weeks to our residents,” suggested Pryce Valentine. She argued that Frontier Heights is a standalone NHT scheme, while Frontier Heights Phase 2 is a different scheme which was constructed under the now defunct Government programme, Operation Pride. According to Pryce- Valentine, they are two different developments but residents of both are crying out for water.