Funds Allocated to Truck Water to St. Ann Communities

Residents of St. Ann who have been adversely impacted by drought conditions affecting the island should get some relief in short order.

The St. Ann Municipal Corporation has received a $4-million allocation from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to commence the trucking of water to drought-affected communities in the parish.

Mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Councillor Sydney Stewart, who made the disclosure in an interview with JIS News on March 22, said the recent rainfall was not sufficient to replenish water sources.

“We have had some rainfall in the last couple of days but that has not changed the drought situation in any significant way… so there is a heavy demand for water to be trucked to these drought-stricken areas, particularly in the backlands of St Ann,” he said.

He noted that the worst affected areas are Moneague, Bensonton, Gibraltar and Claremont.

Mayor Stewart, who is also Chairman of the St. Ann Municipal Corporation, told JIS News that the distribution of water to the communities will commence in short order, noting that allocation of the commodity will be based on need.

Mr. Stewart said the funds will supplement the ongoing water distribution programme being undertaken by councillors in each division.

“Each councillor gets some amount [of money] each month, which is not a large amount, so it cannot do more than two to three loads,” he pointed out.

In addition, he noted that the National Water Commission (NWC) continues to supply water to its service areas.