Donovan Morrison, a resident of the River Head, St Thomas, discusses his community's water woes. He says that while the rest of the island has been experiencing a drought because of low rainfall, his community has had poor water supply for years. - Photos by Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
Central and eastern parishes are now feeling the brunt of drought conditions which have largely affected the Corporate Area, as Jamaica's water woes persist.
Of 460 systems controlled by the National Water Commission (NWC) islandwide, more than 80 are being affected in the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew, St Thomas, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Mary, Portland, St Ann, Manchester and St Elizabeth.
NWC Corporate Communi-cations Manager Charles Buchanan told The Gleaner that drought-management measures have been put in place.
Buchanan said the strategy does not include scheduled water lock-offs but, rather, limited supply to these areas.
"The situation remains the same as we are having challenges with limited inflows at the Hermitage Dam and the Mona Reservoir," he said.
Buchanan said a task force has been set up in the Ministry of Water and Housing to address the crisis, and an inter-agency alliance has been formed between the NWC and that ministry.
Plan to be made public
Last week, The Gleaner reported that some institutions in the Corporate Area had been affected by the water shortage, with one high school having to end classes early because of low pressure.
Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education, Colin Blair, said the ministry was tweaking its drought-response plan, which will be made public soon. He said the ministry has an agreement in place with the NWC to truck water to schools which need it.
He told The Gleaner that schools already have developed their own responses, such as advising students to bring drinking water to school, staggering hours to ensure that water is used evenly, and the use of disposable plates, instead of those that require washing.
Buchanan said the drought might have taken many by surprise as customers served by the Mona Reservoir have not had such severe disruptions in more than 20 years. There are, therefore, either no storage facilities or inadequate storage.
The two storage areas - the Mona Reservoir and Hermitage Dam - are at less than 50 per cent capacity.
On Monday, a Gleaner news team visited the Negro River in St Thomas, where it was clear that the water level was well below the catchment area's optimal capacity. Watermarks could be seen on the wall of the storage area as a steady stream of water flowed into the pipeline.
Residents in the area told The Gleaner there has not been the usual amount of rainfall this year. Those living close to the system also complained that they, too, have been experiencing poor supply - and that was even before the drought started.
This marker at River Head, St Thomas, shows the low level of water at Negro River.