Rotary Club hands over water project

MAIDSTONE, Portland:

THE PORTLAND chapter of the Rotary Club International last Wednesday officially handed over a water project at Maidstone in West Portland, which will benefit hundreds of residents and students at a nearby school.

Past president of the Rotary Club of Port Antonio, Dr Satya Parvataneni, lauded the effort of Member of Parliament (MP) Daryl Vaz who donated $1.2 million towards the water project.

"The cost of this water project amounted to $4.5 million," he said. "Initially the MP donated US$4,000. However, after we realised that electrical power was needed, we again appealed to his conscience, and the money was made available through the Constituency Development Fund. Rotary International provided approximately US$16,000, which went towards the construction of a tank, a catchment area, and a perimeter fencing at the school," Parvataneni added.

The nearby Maidstone All-Age School, which was without water for many years, was affected by the unavailability of piped water, which oftentimes led to the suspension of classes.

Vaz, who was also the guest speaker at the function, urged the residents to utilise the service now available, adding that they should also protect and safeguard the facility.

"This is your project. It is incumbent on you to protect it at all cost and to properly utilise it. We are aware that evil exists, so therefore be on the look out for elements, who might want to damage this project. I thank the effort which was put out by the community (members), who volunteered their labour, along with the Portland Parish Council water team, which spearheaded and supervised the actual work," Vaz said.

Mayor of Port Antonio, Floyd Patterson, spoke about the need for unity in the community, which may have delayed the actual completion of the project. He urged residents to put aside their political differences, and to concentrate on community building.