Westmoreland Parish Council Trucking Water to Communities

The Westmoreland Parish Council has been trucking water to many areas that have been affected by the severe drought, Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinator for the parish, Rev. Hilma Tate, told JIS News.

“The Council has been ensuring that communities hardest hit by the drought are getting some water as often as is possible, and right now requests for additional funds have been made in order that this programme continues until the drought has been broken,” she said.

“Some of the hardest hit areas served by water trucks from the council include: Jerusalem Mountain, White House, Bethel Town, Leamington, Welcome, Porter’s Mountain, Bird Mountain, Sheffield, Valley, White Wood, Mount Airy, Congress, Auldere, Beeston Spring, Big Pasture and Orange Hill, among others,” Rev. Tate noted.

The Co-ordinator said that although the drought has been severe, there have been no reports of illnesses related to the drought. Nevertheless, she is encouraging persons to be very careful in using water from alternative sources.

“There is no question that persons across some communities are indeed facing great challenges in sourcing potable water for domestic use and might be tempted to turn to ponds, rivers and other water storage sources. I want to advise persons not to compromise their health, but rather to be very careful when using such water. I would further advise that they boil all water for drinking, or use bleach in the water,” she urged.