Build wells to solve water problem

EVERY YEAR there are outcries of scarcity of water, for which there is a permanent solution. Why not tap into water beneath the surface? Building wells would lessen filtration processes and also maintenance that would save the National Water Commission millions of dollars.

Wells should be constructed in Kingston and St Andrew, and more in rural parishes. The Jamaica Defence Force ( JDF) has an underground well which supplies water to Vineyard Town and the National Stadium environs. It is said that the JDF well sits on a sustainable water table. Wells would save the country huge expenses to construct reservoirs. The Mona Reservoir has done its time. It was built in 1946, and the population it catered to was much less in comparison to today. There are potential natural aquifers fed by water tables around the country.

Sadly, the water in our rivers is depleted due to highway construction. It was a breath of fresh air to admire the Fresh River green space on the Ferry road, which was lined with trees, and there were fishes. It is now destroyed by the Mandela Highway project adjacent to the Ferry Police Station and Hydel Group of Schools. The river is now stagnant under a slab of concrete road and a muddy swamp on the opposite side. Before the highway was built, a sign was erected by the Government saying that it was a national heritage site and should be preserved; yet they are the ones who eradicated nature. The Portmore leg of Highway 2000 also saw the destruction a lot of the flora and fauna. A sign was there ‘Do Not Destroy the Mangrove’. The Cockpit Country in Trelawny is now on the Government’s agenda for extinction for mining purposes; that threatens the natural existence of rivers and streams, and the eradication of wildlife endemic to Jamaica. Due to the watershed areas of Trelawny, agriculture is the main source of food and the provision of marine life.

Every year heads of government meet internationally to save the world from greenhouse gases and the destruction of natural weather patterns, yet they are the same ones who destroy their own country. The thousands of tax dollars utilised for these trips should be expended to preserve and protect the country from climate change and find potable water sources, like building wells. This, in the long run, can be much cheaper for the country and subsequently save our environment, and the unusual weather patterns.