Left: Stanley Scott, a resident of Mundle Town in New Longville, Clarendon for 47 years, demonstrates the 'no-show' of water he and other residents are greeted with, in most cases, when they try to use the standpipe in the area.   Right: Merlin Dawkins holds a container while her daughter retrieves water from the catchment in their yard. Dawkins says she has to put bleach in the water or 'strain' it before drinking it.

WHAT'S NOT WORKING?

It is like a recurring decimal. Residents of another community in rural Jamaica continue to suffer from very poor road conditions and a dearth of potable water. This time the cries of help are coming from New Longville in Clarendon.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SITUATION:

The residents lamented that since 1986, most of their roads have been repeatedly ravaged by hurricanes and flood waters.

So bad has the damage been, that some areas of the community have virtually no road surface.

Similarly, residents have no access to potable water in their homes. They depend on the water supply from the heavens, which is stored in their home-made catchments.

The other alternative is the standpipes, installed in the 1980s, that residents say are notorious for being dry for weeks.

The notion of taxi operators requiring extra cash for putting their vehicles through the torture of travelling on extremely bad roads is one story short of becoming clichéd. However, this is the reality for residents of New Longville, Clarendon. These residents too, have to fork up extra bucks when they take taxis.

Pastor Winston McLeod, a cornerstone resident, who has been living in the area for 23 years, called for the fulfilment of the promises made to have the community issues addressed. The pastor said the New Longville residents have been carrying the burden of bad roads for way too long and they are in need of deliverance from the scourge. "The roads in the community were severely damaged by flood waters in 1986. It was then repaired, somewhat, to the extent where you could travel on it, but not comfortably. It was again damaged in October 1987, repaired again, or so they said," said Pastor McLeod. "Then came 1988 and Hurricane Gilbert; yet again, the roads were severely damaged."

Mrs. Gloria Hibbert, who has resided in New Longville for 53 years, said she too is familiar with promises from the Parish Council to have the roads repaired. Merlin Dawkins, who resides in the Mundle Town vicinity of New Longville since 1951, said over the last five years to say the least, she has had to depend on God for water (read rain) or dig almost $4,000 deep in her scarce resources to buy the precious commodity in May Pen.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

National Water Commission (NWC) and Clarendon Parish Council.

WHAT'S THE STATUS?

Winston Kelly, superintendent of the Road and Works Department in the Clarendon Parish Council, said they have started addressing the issue. "We started some repairs on those roads but the tractor broke down. So, we are now fixing it and we should be resuming work next week," he said.

Efforts to get a comment from the NWC on the lack of water in the community, were unsuccessful.

CONCLUSION:

We are left to wonder if it is the horrible state of the New Longville roads that damaged the tractor. After all, they do seem capable of making the mammoth task of immobilising such a heavy unit seem a simple one.

However, it is only fair to the many residents, young and old alike, that the roadways be fixed properly. Not only will this provide ease on their feet, but also on their pockets. They have waited long enough for this change.

The need for potable water in the community is great, and the services of the standpipes are unreliable for the most part, according to residents.

Done by Marlon Vickerman, Gleaner Writer

No explanation needed. A view of the very poor road conditions that exist in New Longville, Clarendon. - photos by Ian Allen/Staff Photographer