Colegate residents cry for water

Residents of Colegate in St Ann, located just above Fern Gully, are complaining about the lack of water in their pipes and are appealing to the National Water Commission (NWC) to rectify the situation.

In the meantime, some residents have had to be forking out up to $20,000 for a tank of water from private suppliers, it was learnt.

Richard Williams, NWC regional manager, however, said the company is aware of problems being faced by residents and is currently upgrading the system to ensure that residents get more water through their taps.

“I live here all my life but the water problem … this is the biggest problem inna this area from I born until now and me is 74 years old,” lamented a resident of Colegate, who gave his name as Bernard.

“We having that problem from I born til now, used to haffi carry water pon we head; bout three mile dung di road. All dem kind a ting deh and that situation don’t ease. From 1976 we get pipe here and is only the pipe run here; very seldom water come inna di line,” he added.

“Sometimes is only one time a month or two time fi one month yuh get a little water, an’ fi another two months or three months yuh don’t get anymore. That is the situation in this area all the while; water is the main issue and the main problem,” he explained.

Bar operator Shernette, citing the issue as “a real problem”, has had to endure the difficulty for the two years since she has been operating in Colegate. She said she is forced to buy water to be able to have enough of the precious liquid at the business place, as well as at home.

“It’s been a while now I haven’t seen any water come in the pipe; maybe four, five months now,” Shernette pointed out.

“I have to buy water sometimes. When you order the water from the truck you have to pay $18,000 to $20,000 just to fill your tank,” she added.

She said the residents need a permanent solution to the problem.

BETTER WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

“Wha we would like fi happen is to see better water infrastructure inna di place so we can get water regular,” she told The Gleaner.

Both Bernard and Shernette, like many other residents, and even those in the adjoining community of Breadnut Hill, are unaware of why the problem has persisted over the years.

Richard Williams, regional manager at NWC, said the company was aware of the issues being faced by residents of Colegate, which is served by a well at Walkerswood, and is working to address the issue.

“They are served on a regulated basis. It is a regulated area and we stick to our schedule as best as possible. The only time we would deviate is when there is an issue at the well and that has not happened. I think the last time that was out was probably nearly a year ago,” Williams told The Gleaner.

He said the regulated basis means water is pumped to the area once per week, on a Tuesday.

However, one resident with knowledge of that schedule reported that a lot of residents still do not get water for weeks, while others might be a bit more fortunate.

“I’ll admit it’s a wide area and we have had challenges. Sometimes we truck to some areas that wouldn’t get, like Dunnsville Road and other areas within that vicinity, so we understand,” Williams said.

He explained that the NWC is seeking to secure a new water pump to be able to deliver more water. While the company awaits the pump, additional pipelines are being laid.

“We have done some upgrade to the pipeline at the well so that we can deliver more water into the system. What we’re trying to do is eliminate the need for regulation, or if there is regulation, people will get more water, instead of one day they’ll probably get it three days,” Williams pointed out.

Councillor for the Beecher Town division, Ian Bell, said he is aware of the water problems facing residents of Colegate, Breadnut Hill and surrounding communities and has described the issue as a “real challenge”.

He said he has been keeping abreast of the situation.

“We did a tour with them the other day. The NWC is still saying they are upgrading Walkerswood. They are now waiting on a new pump to be able to pump more water,” Bell said.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com