Paul H. Williams, Gleaner Writer

IN PARTS of the Corporate Area, some people are now trying to adjust to the reality of not having water running constantly through their pipes.

It's a season of drought and the reservoirs that supply water to the Kingston Metropolitan Region are running low, forcing the National Water Commission to impose restrictions.

Naturally, many 'Kingstonians' are not happy. They have long taken piped water for granted and cannot fathom the thought of not having it in their houses.

But what if they should close their eyes and let their minds travel to Beeston Spring, high in the hills of southwestern Westmoreland. Would they give thanks for their small mercies?

The first things they will notice in Beeston Spring, apart from the tranquil atmosphere, are television antennae attached to some houses. Ghosts of ages past merely on display for posterity? No, they are quite functional as there is no cable TV and the reception of television signals in the region is poor without them.

Not even a standpipe

But poor reception and anachronistic television antennae are the least of the problems of the residents. In that hilly place, there is not even a standpipe, much less a pipeline. Their survival is contingent on rainwater collected in drums and tanks, and on the constant flow of the water that springs from the base of a massive fig tree.

For decades, perhaps centuries, water for domestic use was collected from the small pool created by the spring, located on Moravian church land.

It was a water hole for animals and humans, where people gathered to cleanse themselves and their vehicles. But these practices were potentially dangerous, as the spring was at risk of being contaminated.

Eventually, a small catchment - with one pipe - was built. In the dry seasons when everybody had to depend on the spring, there was much tension at times when too many persons gathered and had to wait on other users. An explosive situation it was turning out to be.

Efforts by the parish council and the National Water Commission to ameliorate the situation failed.

When Osmond Bushay, who was born in the community, returned from overseas, where he was living for a while, he saw the need for a convenient source of water. "We the people of the community took it upon ourselves, as what was happening was that there was one outlet, everybody was using it to bathe, wash cars and collect drinking water. As it were, an epidemic could happen. You have animals in there, human waste in there, everything, and that's where we collect our drinking water."

Bushay, being a part of the community development committee, submitted a project proposal to the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica in March 2007. The foundation donated $2.1 million to the community to construct a better catchment facility. Since construction started last year, a huge tank is now in place.

A covered enclosure was built around the pool at the base of the fig tree. From that enclosure there is a concrete filter conduit from which a pipe carries water to the tank, fitted with big taps, from which residents catch their water. In front of the tank is a public 'shower house', and beside it is a washing-area shelter, both still under construction.

According to Robert Farquharson and Gavin Hines, who were seen using the facilities when The Sunday Gleaner visited, the situation is better, though they still have to travel with many containers to take water back home.

People who live near the catchment are used to carrying many containers of water every day, but it's a hard life in the dry seasons for those who live on the hillsides and miles away. Vehicles and donkeys are used to transport the life-sustaining liquid.

Fire hydrant miles away

Recently, the Westmoreland Fire Department trained 13 residents in fire safety and prevention, and the area was made a 'fire unit replenish site', as the nearest fire hydrant is miles away.

A fire hydrant was set up at the catchment by the Westmoreland Fire Department to replenish fire trucks, and a lay-by for the parking of vehicle is being built.

But this project might not be the end of the efforts of the residents of Beeston Spring. "Underground water supply is not short; it is just to harness it ... . What we are hoping to do in the future is to tap into this and other spring sources here and see if we could acquire properties downstream ... and pump the water in stages up the hill and then gravity feed it back to the community. This is our long-term goal," Bushay said.

At Beeston Spring, the spring is life, and the story there is about how the residents have taken things in their own hands for a better life. "The Government is there, and will help, but sometimes if somebody doesn't see you helping yourself, they will not even acknowledge that you want help. Sometimes you keep down yourself by not helping yourself. Life will get easier for you if you try to help yourself," declared Ralston Robinson, a member of the Beeston Spring Community Development Committee.

- paul.williams@gleanerjm.com