NWC silly season now in full swing

WE are now fully into the National Water Commission silly season.

It is that time when you could expect to hear the voice of one Charles Buchanan (whatever happened to him?) telling us that it is that time again when less water would flow in our pipes, which would result in the primitive action of catching water, or have water trucked to you.

Now, the same sentiments are being expressed, this time by a humungous Canon, the Andrew one-pop type. The Hermitage

Dam is at 68 per cent capacity, he would tell us last week, while rolling out Buchanan’s annual echo.

While Canon sounded far better when he was in mainstream media, especially with his television wraps, it is absolutely annoying to hear him saying things about a commodity that is most precious to all —chatting about how people’s comfort would be wickedly diluted.

And when you hear and see the same National Water Commission (NWC) put out advertisements targeting those residential and condominium customers who have been breaking their laws by not paying for use of water — offering them a 30 per cent discount of 90 days and over, you have to wonder where the NWC’S leadership is going.

Last week I mentioned the most brilliant public servant to have served this country — Kingsley Thomas — as the main man behind the highway project. He was also president of the NWC at one time, but, was frustrated and pushed out of the job by those who, if asked to tell you what one and one equals, would tell you 11.

If Thomas had spent more time at the NWC, Jamaica’s water problems would have been solved by now.

But what are we seeing? No clear plans to increase water capacity, and a young man, Pearnel Charles Jr, who articulated a desire to put more water in the system, whether by desalination or otherwise, is being wasted.

Maybe the suffering masses, like those in St Mary where I am from, which gets water only on Thursdays for over a year now, should start taking legal action against the NWC for failing to deliver water to them. Only then would the NWC get smart and put people in charge who know how to supply a need to the people.