NO PLACE TO LIVE
“Ahell it a gimmie, me swear!” a disgusted Simone Coburn told THE CENTRAL STAR.
Coburn lives in Alligator Pond, Manchester. Due to the recent heavy rainfall, the water in the pond has increased and is bordering her backyard. When she opens her back door, she stands mere inches away from the grimy, stenchy pond.
She says the living condition is not ideal for her children and there is absolutely nothing she can do about it.
“A four pickney me have live yah wid me, and fi mi boyfriend have two and dem come yah all the while. Me jus affi wait and see if this a guh fix ... That’s all me can do because finding somewhere right now, it nuh really easy. Somebody did all seh dem see crocodile in deh. Me neva see it but me nuh want none a dem (children) near it,” Coburn said.
She said that up until a few days ago, the murky water had made its way closer to her door, and when it receded, it left some unwelcomed visitors.
“Yuh have some things like worm ... yesterday me a fi get gas and sprinkle it a grung and just light di grung,” she said.
Coburn believes the water can run off somewhere else, but other members of the community are against it as it would pose an issue for them - the same issue she is facing.
“Me come yah come find it like dat and me deh here round four months now. Me nuh report it to anybody because dem nah do nothing. The trench coulda buss but people nuh want it buss because dem a seh dem have some vehicle fi come out.”
Now, to make this worse, she’s living on a mosquito breeding site.
“Me affi light four destroyer a night, because di fan nah help and when morning light, me still a fi light dem again. So me a fi set up most night and a watch mosquito and dem (the children) more while. It nuh easy!” She said as she let out a huge sigh.
As if the dirty water and mosquitoes weren’t enough, Coburn is now bothered by a pungent odour coming from the water.
“Yuh have time when it come like it ripe ... it stink. And a nuh only when me come out, all when me lock up inna di house me smell it. When me go market, me affi buy wulleep a bleach powder, jayes and retail dettol fi get rid a di scent and dat a cost me cause me a spend money.”