Frustrated residents eager to benefit from new water supply in Nain
Ainsworth Morris
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Despite the expenditure of $130 million for a new water supply system in the community of New Building in Nain, St Elizabeth, numerous residents complain that they still do not see themselves benefitting immediately.
On Thursday, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Senator Matthew Samuda, turned on their new water supply system, which forms part of the Essex Valley Water Supply and Upgrade Project.
The area currently consists of over 400 occupied houses and several vacant lots for future housing development.?
At the ceremony for the commissioning of the water supply, Raymond Nesbeth, receivables manager, National Water Commission (NWC), said 12 households are already connected and 100 are being processed.
Tisha Brooks, one of the residents, told?The Gleaner, while waiting on the arrival of Samuda, how disappointed she was that the system she had been hearing about for months was finally on location but she would not get access to it on the evening of its commissioning.
“I’m not satisfied ... not until mi get it inside my house. Dem [NWC] tell we dat dem woulda text information fi wi go and pay, and we nuh hear anything more,” the 42-year-old, who has lived in the area all her life, told?The Gleaner.?
“Mi hear seh we affi buy pipe fi run, but mi no get no information from wi go sign up. Mi nuh memba which month mi sign up, but it nuh reach a year yet,” she said.?
Brooks has not sought to pay a deposit because she is still waiting on a text message promised by the NWC to register.?
Her neighbour, Donesha Campbell, said that the NWC promised months ago to create an account number where they would get connection after, but, to date, that has not come to fruition.?
“Dem seh, when dem create di account number, somebody woulda come, we woulda go pay and dem woulda come connect the pipe to our house and we get plumber fi connect, but we nuh hear nothing,” the 39-year-old,who has lived in the community all her life without running water, said.
On the other hand, Angelita Barnes, another resident who has been living in the community for 49 years without water, recalled when the community had a water line that ran to a pipe at a former member of parliament’s mother’s gate, and is elated that she can soon access it in her house.?
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“Mi feel good about it. I have a tank and a water drum, so I have to be buying water,” she said.?
Franklin Witter, member of parliament for St Elizabeth South Eastern, said the advocacy for the residents of New Building to have running water in their houses from NWC goes back to 2007, at the cost of approximately $60 million.?
He explained that the closure of the JISCO/ALPART Bauxite Plant delayed the process, as they were depending on the plant to make the project a success.
“They were not in a position to honour their commitment in respect of the additional funding that they would have promised,” he said.
Samuda was elated to commission the water services.
“This is an important signal, not just to the people of the southern belt of St Elizabeth, but rather, it’s an important signal to the entire country.”
“For those who have been watching news and current affairs over the last six to seven months, we’ve been saying every Thursday, ‘Another One’ because the reality is, we have been highlighting the work of the NWC, and indeed the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, in fulfilling the commitment of the Most Honourable Prime Minister Andrew Holness, every Thursday,” he said.?
He emphasised that the water commissionings have been taking place in rural communities and not the urban areas.