‘Water crisis a kill me’

WESTERN BUREAU:

While residents of Trelawny Northern acknowledge the progress made in infrastructure since the 2020 general election, some are urging further development – particularly in the area of water access and youth engagement.

Ronald Gillings, a resident of Bounty Hall, painted a stark picture of daily life without consistent access to water.

“Water crisis a kill me,” he told The Sunday Gleaner. “We under wah wicked water crisis ‘round here. It’s like a water war we a fight. Sometimes water deh over there, sometimes over here. We nuh have no proper supply.”

According to Gillings, the ongoing drought-like conditions in the community have forced residents to fetch water from a nearby section of the Martha Brae River. Despite Bounty Hall being just four miles from the Martha Brae River, its pipes often run dry for extended periods while millions of gallons are channelled from the same river to service vast sections of St James and other parishes.

“Mi nah manage good. I don’t know about the rest of them, but sometimes a way ‘round suh a wah river mi affi go look water. Right now it’s been about four months now mi nuh bathe good. Mi affi bathe inna bucket, bath pan and sometimes wah likkle bottle a drain with water. Mi good otherwise because mi have food, but a just the water crisis,” said Gillings.

31-year dominance

Trelawny Northern constituency is currently represented by Tova Hamilton of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Hamilton defeated incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Victor Wright of the People’s National Party (PNP) on September 3, 2020, becoming the first woman to represent the constituency. She also ended the PNP’s 31-year dominance in Trelawny Northern.

Michael Brown, another Bounty Hall resident, told The Sunday Gleaner that Hamilton has been a “hard-working MP” despite the water shortage. He stressed that the roads in his community have been rehabilitated since Hamilton took office in 2020.

“We get a good road, so we cya complain about that and we cya complain about the MP, but a just the water problem. She a try do more than the ordinary right now. All wah she nuh supposed to do, she a do. She even do other people work so we cya complain,” Brown said.

Hamilton is expected to face off with the PNP’s Dr Wykeham McNeill in the upcoming general election due by September.

Trelawny Northern includes five electoral divisions: Falmouth, Martha Brae, Duncans, Wakefield, and Sherwood Content. The opposition party currently has the Martha Brae, Falmouth, and Duncans divisions in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, while the JLP controls Wakefield and Sherwood Content.

Although not a perfect indicator of voting trends due to different factors affecting local government and general elections, based on a the crude totals for the five divisions in the constituency, the PNP polled more votes in the February 2024 local government elections. The opposition party got 6.597 votes across the constituency, while the JLP bagged 5,336.

In the meantime, Joan Gardner, a resident of Deeside, told The Sunday Gleaner that she is grateful for the road work that has taken place in her community since the last general election. She credited Hamilton for delivering on promises made to bring better road conditions during her campaign.

“I am pleased with her. The past years, we did a suffer and can’t get no road and since she come in, she has done a lot for us because driving from Deeside to Wakefield, we used to drop dung inna pot hole. For instance, before, if you were pregnant, by the time you leave from Deeside to Wakefield, you might have the baby on the way,” Gardner said.

Infrastructural issues

She further stated that there are no major infrastructural issues in her community.

“We don’t have a problem. Round a my way, we never have no light, but now we have light. We have a streetlight now and everything is up since Tova came in. If mi complain, mi wicked,” she said.

Another Deeside resident, who identified himself as Punchline, also echoed her sentiments. Punchline also shared that he feels compelled to vote in the upcoming election due to the development he has seen.

“She is doing a good job and we give thanks for that because a long time the road did bad. I don’t really believe inna the politics, but she [is] going to get my vote this time. Mi see things better now so mi see something mi can vote for,” he said.

Ralston Hodges, a 73-year-old painter from Wakefield, also expressed contentment for the level of representation his community has received. Hodges told The Sunday Gleaner that he, too, intends to make his vote count once the election is called.

“This road did deh here long time and a Tova come mek we have a good road to drive on. Tova is good to go. If the day comes and mi wah go vote, mi go vote,” he said.

Alethia Hylton, a resident of Zion, said that her community has also seen more infrastructure; however, she told The Sunday Gleaner that there is a need for youth-targeted initiatives.

“Honestly, I’ve seen improvements over the years. There’s a proper road system now in place, and what was there before was half-done and was left unattended. The section that is now done; was promised and fulfilled. As for infrastructure, more buildings are going up in the area,” Hylton said.

“There could be more young people going out to work, but they are lacking education as well as motivation. Light and water are there, opportunities are there, but it is for those who need it and are hungry enough to go after it. They need motivation. Without that, they are lost because they don’t have a proper parenting guide,” she added.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com