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Hi everyone
I'm coming to Negril for the first time in almost a month and I have been reading on trip advisor that there is a drought in Negril right now. I thought I would ask here as the information seemed confusing. Will this be something that will last a long time and will it effect me at the Seastar Inn, where I'm staying? I've been reading here for a long time and very excited. Any advice is appreciated.
I just returned from Negril on Friday Feb 24. Yes there has been a druaght th epast 8 weeks or so. Because of the lack of rain, there are more fires burning than usual. The result is some smoke in the air some days. It had little or no effect on our trip.
Other than some small areas effected at this time each year...this is nothing unusual. Earlier this month the Parish Council for Westmoreland & Hanover each received money for the water trucks in the drought effected areas....Negril is not one of the areas.
This is kind of funny as we were discussing the TA post with a property owner up near the Lighthouse (where I also lived for almost 5 years)....he's in the neighborhood that is mentioned in the TA post & he just laughed at the whole thread...he wouldn't even call it a drought.
As he and I discussed this happens each year at this time because it's not rainy season and everyone prepares for this. The water pressure is low during the day so everyone has storage tanks to accommodate the low water pressure...these tanks are very inexpensive and fill up at night when the water pressure increases.
Sooncome....you'll have no worries at any hotel in Negril including the Seastar Inn.
The recent fires around Negril are mainly cane fires which are again common this time of year during cane harvesting season.
there will be a shortage of fresh "special" mushrooms also.........
we had the same thing two years ago and it was much worse.......
when I was there the end of April two years ago wi didn't have but one quick shower......
which was unheard of........and mi stayed at SeaStar Inn and wi had plenty of wata.......
that is one thing you don't have to worry about at SeaStar.......
wata and current........Chris the owner has both of those covered.....big tanks and generator
Cool Runnings, Marko
Been coming here this time of year since '88 (cause it's the dry season). Got here 1/26 & seen more rain in Negril than I can remember for this time of year including today as I speak. Leaving 3/1 & I'm sure I'll see more.
Soon Come - to answer your question, the water situation in Negril should be better by then. Either way, staying in a hotel you would not even notice drought conditions. Truth is, when you come lots of folks will have left already - those first few weeks of February are very, very busy and that affects the water distribution in Negril in general, especially in the residential neighborhoods.
Starting about 2 weeks ago the water in our yard and others' yards on our part of West End Road started to dribble. Then it stopped running altogether. Now, this is something that is NOT new - when it gets crazy busy in town as it does in Negril the first weeks of February the water company actually diverts the water to the beach first, leaving the West End neighborhoods high and dry.
I was at my friend's shop across the street from my yard and the radio announcer said "drought conditions in Western Jamaica". So, it was on the news even. That's why I aid "drought conditions" - it's what the radio guy said. Seriously - that explains why, after 2 weeks, the water is still either not coming out of the taps or barely coming out of the taps in my neighborhood.
In talking with folks it seems the situation is getting better over the past couple of days. At the time I made the post though it was pretty bad. Lisa - if you read my TA post I do mention that this happens every year (as I have in this post, above) but you're statement "so everyone has storage tanks to accommodate the low water pressure...these tanks are very inexpensive and fill up at night when the water pressure increases." - that's a bit, out of touch? I have neighbors that have 5,000 gallon tanks - the hotels and resorts certainly do - but many of my neighbors do not. I'm pretty sure the man you were talking to and laughing with has at least one tank on his property. But even still - 2 weeks, 5,000 gallons, several people living in a yard...unless you get water trucked in (spendy!) you'd be pretty S.O.L. by the middle of the second week.
At the beginning of the season we went many weeks without a drop of rain. The buzz was always, where's the rain, where's the rain? We need the rain! We were crunching on leaves, seeing burnt plants in the bush...Maybe it isn't as bad as after Hurricane Ivan (didn't rain for what, 9 months after the storm? We had dust in our yard, not grass!) or the drought Marko keeps talking about that was island-wide and pretty darn bad, especially on the Eastern part of the island...Believe me, my other home is in a water scarce area of Northern California - if it doesn't rain by May it won't until October.
The post I made on TripAdvisor was to bring awareness to folks visiting and staying at the hotels and resorts there that you can actually help out in a situation like this:
1. Ask housekeeping NOT to change your sheets every day or provide fresh towels
2. Don't ask the resort or hotel to do your laundry for you
3. Don't run the sink while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your face
4. Take 1 shower a day - the temptation to take more in hot humid weather can be overwhelming, believe me I know! But stick to one.
A few simple measures taken by everyone regarding conservation can only help. As residents of this planet we all need to become more aware of resource conservation - here's your opportunity to try it out. Just because it happens every year, this year is a bit worse with the lack of rain...the duration longer, the water more non-existent - that's why I chose to post about it on TA.
I find the reaction to this and the post on Trip Advisor interesting. Most are more than willing to learn and live and share amongst others. A few choose to mock and "know better". Me - I share information I consider to be important and offer up solutions that we all can handle. I don't need to be "right" and I don't need to be "listened to". I don't need anything - what you do as citizens of the globe is up to each of you individually. We all share a planet.
Peace.
PS: Rooster - agreed. When I got back from New York it was wild how the weather had changed! Late January and early February were always pretty much clear skies, no rain - but in the past five years or so I've noticed that trend changing and some of the diciest weather (rain-wise, wind, high seas) seems to occur during that time now. And...two days after I came back to Cali the temperature here was the same as it was in Negril! Global Warming anyone?
when you go through drought as I did growing up in California, you learn about water conservation. These lessons I learned many years ago have stuck with me as life long practices. I can't help but speak up when I see friend who washes dishes with the water running continuously--regardless of where I am or how much water is available, it just seems reckless. I remember showering when you had to just get wet, turn it off and soap and shampoo up and then rinse. We had to let our lawns and gardens die. I don't think I will ever take water for granted.
Thanks for this useful post rastagirl777, people should always think about conserving water/energy no matter where they are. Sometimes its hard coming from a place like Canada (speaking for myself) where everything is in such abundance, but its so so important.
the same water situation exists in other parts of jamaica, perhaps even worse . . . for instance, in the hills of portland, the ppl may get water out of the pipe 1 out every 5 days for a few hours, that's it!!! . . .
those tanks are not "very inexpensive", they are "VERY EXPENSIVE" for the regular folks and a lot of folks do have them and even more don't have them!! . . . so, negril is not the only place that suffers from shortage of water in jamaica.
as a frequent traveller to jamaica, i'm always conscious of my use of water and try to do my best to conserve.