The NWC and a box office movie called ‘Water Torture’
I would like one person to name one year when Jamaicans were never treated to the blockbuster movie sponsored by the National Water Commission and called ‘Water Torture.’
I’ll give it a few days because amnesia could also set in among us, but I doubt that the film, which has as its main star the president of the NWC and major roles played by the corporate communications manager, has not been seen repeatedly by Jamaicans, without skipping even one year.
What in God’s name is happening to the NWC? Why can’t we have a constant flow of the precious commodity that is water? Why do we have to be constantly fed with excuses from the top brass of the State organisation, gloomy scenes about low storage capacity in particular, and sometimes even turbidity when the fluid comes pouring down.
Jamaica should never have a water shortage problem. We push up our chests and call this land one of wood and water, yet, while the wood (some people spell it differently) is there in abundance, there is no water. So where is the water?
Rainfall in Jamaica alone is adequate to supply the needs of our population of around 2.8 million. But there is the leaking issue of storage. There are not many such facilities here. And guess what? very few have been built since Columbus stopped to have a drink at Discovery Bay.
Come on NWC, a greater effort to store the water must be made. Much of the water from some of our main rivers — among them the Black River, Wag Water, Rio Minho, Rio Grande, Martha Brae — goes straight into the sea. That’s waste.
Suggestions have been made to build a desalination plant in Jamaica, but such an expensive undertaking is unnecessary. Rainwater, and water from rivers exist in abundance. The NWC must find ways for Jamaicans to have it perennially and stop making excuses.