The National Water Commission (NWC) met on Monday with a delegation from Western St. Thomas, led by Member of Parliament James Robertson and five councillors of the St. Thomas Parish Council, regarding their concerns about the lack of water supply to sections of the constituency.
The delegation, which met with the NWC was part of a larger contingent of persons who attended the NWC head offices about 11:00 a.m.
The NWC team, led by NWC President E.G. Hunter, received the delegation, listened to the concern and accepted packages of T-shirts from the Member of Parliament.
Responding to the concerns expressed by Mr. Robertson, Mr. Hunter said the water supply issues in those areas that are the responsibility of the NWC would be addressed in the best way possible in the shortest possible time. He pointed out that some of the areas being referred to were not served by the NWC but instead were the responsibility of the parish council.
"The NWC president also indicated that some of the areas being complained about, such as York and Seaforth, are presently experiencing an intermittent supply of water as a result of a sudden decline in the water supply yield at the NWC's Springfield Wells," the water commission said in a statement. "This requires major cleaning and rehabilitation work and is now being pursued by the Commission in keeping with the required Government Procurement and Contracting Guidelines."
Trucking of water
The NWC said Mr. Hunter also cautioned that the commission could only provide scheduled trucking of water in those areas where water supply sources are seasonal, have declined or have dried up.
"In these cases he (Mr. Hunter) said that the Commission implores affected customers to show understanding and to use the water trucked to them judiciously," the NWC said.
In concluding the short meeting, the NWC president also reminded Mr. Robertson and the councillors that the Water Commission would only be able to undertake new infrastructure works in the future from revenues collected from paying customers.
