Water Worries! Concerns over water safety out west

Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:Government's failure to readily support the measures being taken to ensure the safety of water being supplied to the public has come under scrutiny by the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior public health administrator with WRHA told Western Focus that health officials were sometimes impeded in their bid to ensure public safety.

"As health inspectors, what we have is a mandate to oversee, not to institute, when it comes to government operations," the senior health official said. "Central government and the parish council are the ones that institute. So decisions are made, more often than not, contrary to our recommendation, and that is a challenge for us."

The WRHA official, who was responding to queries from Western Focus about security measures to protect the region's water supply, made it clear that their recommendations were not always followed.

"Although we have a mandate and provide feedback, we are governed by the public health regulation, and that limits our power to act," the health official stated. "The final decision is up to the minister of health or a senior official at the ministry. Our hands are tied."

INSUFFICIENT SECURITY

Several water-supply systems in western Jamaica are being operated under less-than-ideal conditions as some are not properly secured and are open to possible tampering.

In Hanover, councillor of the Cauldwell Division of the parish council, Anthony Walker, said he was gravely concerned about the National Water Commission's (NWC) Water Treatment Plant in Kendal in his division, which has been without a perimeter fence for almost 15 years.

"The biggest problem I have is the security of the facility," Walker said during a recent visit to the site. "This is where I get water from. I came to the area 15 years ago, and it has been like this from then. Several hundred people get water from here and yet it is just open. There is no form of fencing to prevent anything and anyone from entering.

"As it is now, anyone malicious can come and do something to the water, and this is my biggest concern. I have been begging the authorities from before I became a councillor to put up perimeter fencing. They say they are willing to do that, but nothing has been done," he added.

In 2002, it was recommended that residents of the Roaring River community in Central Westmoreland, where one of the oldest NWC water-treatment facilities is located, be relocated, as their presence was negatively affecting the facility's ability to supply safe water to consumers. This was due to the site being surrounded by pit latrines, some of which were built during a typhoid outbreak in the 1990s; however, the recommendation for relocation was ignored, and today, the community is home to approximately 400 residents.

A visit to another minor water-supply system in Cascade, Hanover, revealed that the facility was being used as a laundry spot for community members.

When Western Focus went there earlier this week, an employee of the NWC was seen removing debris from the catchment area; however, he declined to comment on the matter.

MULTI-AGENCY ISSUE

The Logwood Water-Treatment Plant in Hanover, which supplies communities from Lucea to Negril with 5.4 million gallons of water daily, is located on a property which is not properly fenced. A sole security guard was seen patrolling the location.

"My officers are astute and have been giving their all despite the limitations," the WRHA senior health official told Western Focus. "However, water-quality management is a multi-agency issue. The NWC and the parish council have a greater say. Government entities are treated differently from private groups," the WRHA officer said.

"At the end of the day, the Government will always say they are planning to fix the problems, yet this never happens," the health official said. "Within the context of our macro-economic situation, the condition could be the same in another five years or become even worse."