Water shortage impacting livelihoods in Brown’s Hall
FARMERS IN Brown’s Hall, St Catherine, have lamented about the impact of water shortages on their livelihoods. On Saturday, two days before
the commemoration of World Water Day, water was everywhere in Brown’s Hall, except in the pipes.
Jorvan Hayden is an egg farmer who owns 800 layers. He is one of several agriculturists who have been hit hard by chronic water woes.
Hayden said that he is forced to pay up to $18,000 for a truckload of water, which lasts only a few days for his farm.
“It (the water) trickles through the pipes maybe once weekly,” Hayden told The Gleaner.
“I want to continue to deal with the egg business, but it’s very difficult without a reliable water source. Sometimes it’s tempting
to give up,” he added.
Other residents of the rural St Catherine community said that down-in-their-luck farmers have, over time, abandoned cultivation on the slopes. That’s a view held by Lascelles Harris.
“There was a time when you couldn’t see across the street, as there was thick and rich greenery. Now, what we have are empty hillsides, nothing to encourage rainfall,” Harris said.
“The livelihoods of many, especially our farmers, are adversely affected.”
Harris, a teacher, has called for increased dependence on water
harvesting from roof gutters, especially with concerns about below-average rainfall.
He also has reservations about the potential impact from contamination due to the corrosion of black water tanks because of prolonged exposure to searing sunshine.
“I think that there should be available funding for those who want to build tanks. I think that is much safer, as with the breakdown, over time, of the plastic tanks, there are trace materials that will affect health, I think,” Harris said.