Negril needs your help! Just an email....

[Rob]

Thank you S&J, Harley, Cel and John! We are grateful for your support and are continuing to ask others to join in our email campaign.

The Minister incharge of water is having a meeting today mostly with hotel owners. I am sure he doesn't want to meet with a bunch of irate residents who haven't had a shower in God knows how long. I don't expect squat from this meeting, just lip service.

Several higher ups from the NWC went to the Westland Mountain tank, which holds about a 6 hour reserve of water for the West End. The valve feeding the community was closed off about 97% of the way making it useless.

Their brilliant idea is to use the reserve tank as our main water source. Which sounds all good and nice until that 6 hour supply drops to about 4 hours and the pressure drops.

They tried it yesterday since the tank was full and closed off. Places near to the main road got water as well as places down hill, but even with the slightest grade no one was receiving water. Apparently some need a refresher course on the difference of flow and pressure.

All in all it was a two steps forward, two steps back kinda day.

And still zero water on the West End...

[johng]

Rob,
Has the Gleaner or other Media outlets in JA covered the events and situation that Negril / West End is facing? Not knowing exactly how the politricks are being played these days I have no idea what the best approach is for getting relief?

[Rob]

We will be starting phase 2 later is Samuda doesn't have a concrete solution for the water mismanagement today

Stay tuned

[Kold Ass Mofo]

Rob, how did this situation get so dire, so quick?

We sent an email to Minister Bartlett at info@visitjamaica.com.

[OUV11112]

Done.

Dear Minster Bartlett,

We have been to Jamaica 8 times and 7 of these visits were to Negril.

Until the Government can provide continuous water to the residents of Negril we will not be returning.

Shame on the Government for not providing their citizens the basic necessity of water!

[Rob]

Alright, after digesting what came out of the meeting on Thursday where Minister Samuda (in charge of the water) and the NWC (National Water Commision), it seems like Jamaica is taking several steps backwards. After removing the PRESS from the meeting, Minister Samuda proposed that the short term solution is gifting of 2000 black water tanks to selected homes and to have ALL WATER FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS MINIMUM be trucked to each household individually and ADDING MORE WATER TRUCKS to the roadways.

The long term plan, which will take two years minimum to complete is to secure water for Negril from the Roaring River Water Plant.

So Negril is to be served for the next two years by countless water trucks running continuously, with their weight doing more damage to the roads and their exhaust putting more greenhouse gases in the environment.

I really don't know what to say to that. But any home that does not have a tank for whatever reason will have no water for at least 2 years. That is the solution Prime Minister Holness, Minister Samuda and Minister Bartlett have come up with for Negril.

In addition to emailing Minister Bartlett about the water crisis in Negril, we need to turn up the heat a little by asking you to get your comments also to the Gleaner and Observer. The Gleaner is the easiest, all you have to do is forward your email to Bartlett directly to them, with an introduction stating that you sent this email to Minister Bartlett. The Gleaner email address is letters@gleanerjm.com.

The Observer has a form they use. So you will just copy and paste your email to this form address: https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/feedback

As I said, I really don't know what to say about this "solution". Its like the government doesn't even think about the ramifications. Not only is it much more expensive and unsightly to have all those vehicles move every ounce of water, but with totally unnecessary damage to the environment, it would not surprise me if the UN, US, EU, Canada and the UK all stop giving grants to Jamaica because of this environmentally hostile way of delivering water, a substance that literally flows on its own.

We are in dire need of your help! You email campaign caused an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning which resulted in a surreal no press allowed public meeting on Thursday afternoon.


Thank you for anything you can do - and if you know anyone in the major media circles, please let them know what is happening in Jamaica.

[Rob]

The Gleaner has had a press conference with Minister Samuda:

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...oreland-samuda

[Rob]

And from the Observer:

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024...x-negril-woes/

[Rob]

And thank you Kold and OUV for your support!

[tomt]

Done.
Emails sent to both places