Drought question?

[rastagirl777]

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?

[cdn_79]

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.

[Rob]

RG,

Your post on TA is misleading and is leading to confusion. The title, "Heads Up - Serious Drought Conditions in Western Jamaica" does not represent the truth of the situation. Perhaps if you had listened more closely to the radio announcer you mentioned, you would have known that what Bnewb (Lisa) says is correct. There are a few drought effected areas of Western Jamaica - but no drought in Western Jamaica as you stated above.

There is an article in the Observer two weeks ago ( http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...on-for-drought ) where the parish councils received ja$3,000,000 (less than us$36,000) in response to requests made by the Westmoreland and Hanover parish councils to support remedial drought action in specific areas of the parishes. How much of a "serious condition" can this be if the Jamaican government can solve these isolated problems for less than us$36,000? And it is interesting to note that the article clearly states that none of the effected areas are covered by the water company. Negril is most certainly not one of those drought-affected areas.

Some of your comments here are also incorrect and misleading. What in the world makes you think that "the water company actually diverts the water to the beach first, leaving the West End neighborhoods high and dry"? This would be against the law. Those responsible would be jailed. The truth of the matter is that the beach is closer to the water plant and the West End is farther from the water plant. Simple logic dictates that when the water pressure is low, those areas closest to the water plant will receive water before the ones farthest away. This has nothing to do with any diversion by anyone at the water company but has to do with the laws of physics. Not only is your statement incorrect, but to make such an assertion is libelous.

There has been rumors going around Negril for years that the diversion is happening. And they have just as much validity as the comments you made last year about hearing that the A/I's had run hidden sewage pipes out to the reef or the years old construction in front of the Issa owned Negril Beach Villas being part of the Stewart backed "jetty project" which is still just a proposal and has not been implemented. You may choose to believe in the grand conspiracies - but the truth is always much easier and more logical to understand.

I am puzzled as to why you think Bnewb's (Lisa's) comments are out of touch. Lisa has lived here for 5 years. That is 5 years longer than you have. That is 5 years all year round - not just visiting as a tourist like you do. She has lived for 5 years on the West End in the same area that you stay during your visits during the winter. She is intimately in touch with the situation in the neighborhood where you stay when you are in Negril. It seems to me that you are the one who may be out of touch. Water storage tanks are inexpensive. And why would anyone need a 5000 gallon tank? Those are designed for industrial usage.

According to the Gleaner in an article about water storage for times when the water is unavailable - "the average households usually opt for 400-gallon tanks, which along with the 600-gallon tanks are the fastest sellers. These tanks can satisfy the needs of a 5-6 member households adequately in normal situations."

The cost for these 400 gallon tanks are very inexpensive, and if a household can afford a house, then they will be able to afford to have a tank should the water pressure become an issue for them. The cost of a 400 gallon tank is around ja$14,000 (us$164). Monthly electric bills can run that high.

There are households that choose not to use storage tanks for many reasons. I am sure that not wanting to spend the money can be a factor. But in truth, there has only been running water in the homes in many areas of Jamaica for less than two generations now. Many households just do not consider the storage tanks as a serious issue, they deal with the water problems when they occur. Jamaica is a developing country and droughts and other water issues do occur. But if a family can afford having a home, then the additional cost of a storage tank would not be much of an issue for them.

Regarding these storage tanks, they can be filled from one of the many water trucks that service Negril. For the average size tank (400 gal), the trucks will come out and fill them for about ja$2000 (or us$23). But there is virtually no need to have to pay for this at all. At night, when the water usage in Negril goes down, the water pressure increases in the system. The West End will once again have water pressure and the tanks will fill up on their own with water from the water company.

I was there when Lisa was talking with a property owner yesterday and they were discussing your TA post. The views that Lisa posted here are shared by this business owner, who grew up in Negril and has lived here his entire life. I find it strange that you can claim that someone who grew up here as well as someone who has lived here for 5 years are "out of touch", when you only visit for short periods of time.

The conservation ideas you posted are great and are also posted in virtually every room in each hotel and resort in Negril. They are part of the conservation education that was instituted by the Jamaica Tourist Board years ago. These ideas are now becoming common sense guidelines as people become more aware. Reposting this information is fine and always helpful, but to use a sensationalized drought title to present these basic ideas is extremely misleading and can confuse visitors as to the reality of the situation as happened here with sooncome. Using the title can also take away from the fact that serious droughts can occur and have occurred in the past.