HUNDREDS of residents of a depressed Portmore community called Washington Mews have shunned a life of stealing water from their neighbours. Next, they plan to stop stealing electricity.

Incidentally, the National Water Commission (NWC) loses between 20 and 30 per cent of all the water it supplies to theft, while the JPS loses 13 per cent through the same means.

The 112 households comprising 450 people in Washington Mews are seeking to transform their community and to live above board, by forming a provident society to acquire the land on which they are squatting from the Government.

For them, last Friday was a defining moment as they relished the sound of ‘legal’ water gushing through their pipes, after years of tapping into the supply of their neighbours on Portmore Lane.

A relieved NWC team spent three weeks laying pipes before officially turning on the main water lock-off to the community.

The residents are finding that legal status is not so bad after all. The stolen water was never enough because the pressure was always low.

“It was like there was no water in the pipes,” said Sophia Lennon, vice-president of the provident society. “Many days we had no water. Sometimes we had to set up at night and full our drums. That’s how we would get water so we are very grateful that we have our own water now,” she said.

It was their local government representative who advised the residents that they could get ownership of the land, if they put in the necessary infrastructure.

If things go according to plan, the water connection will be the first in a series of steps aimed at bringing the existence of the community – which is essentially a lane that runs off Newlands main road in the municipality – above board. It should be followed by legalising electricity connections, paving the existing dirt road and putting in a drainage system to replace the open trench that sits across from the residents’ gates.

For now though, the residents are happy that they at least have their own water supply.

“It means a lot to me,” Elaine Green told the Sunday Observer. “It stop me from tiefing water and make me live better. Mi can get mi regular wash and everything without having to look out for the Commission coming to cut,” she admitted.

Green, who has lived in Washington Mews for the past five years, and some of her neighbours witnessed the commissioning of the new connection by Portmore Mayor Keith Hinds and NWC representatives.

But perhaps no one was happier than Charmaine Fyffe who immediately went to purchase three lengths of PVC pipe and a tube of Tangit so she could channel the water from the front of the premises to the back.

“This means everything to me. I couldn’t be more grateful and happy to have life, because water is life, in my own yard,” she said. “I have a lot of fruit trees in my yard and so I need to water them and now I will be able to do it. Nobody is happier than me.”

The story of Washington Mews – where the first person took up residence back in 1989 – is not unlike the many informal settlements scattered across the face of Jamaica. Since the land was not earmarked for housing and had no amenities or provisions for proper sanitation, the people who trickled in over the years have been stealing water and electricity. Those who do not have toilet facilities at home use pit latrines. They are included in the 35.1 per cent of all Jamaican households who, according to the most recent Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (2006), do not have access to flush toilets.

“Some of them don’t even have a pit up ’til now,” Lennon told the Sunday Observer.

She, added, however that since they got legal water connections, more and more people were considering upgrading to flush toilets. “We would love to have a sewerage system,” she said.

Minister of Water & Housing, Dr Horace Chang, reported to parliament last month that close to a million Jamaicans were squatters. That means that similar to Washington Mews, they live on land not owned, leased or rented by them and on which there aren’t necessarily any provisions for sanitation.

“Me deh bout the place from I was a little boy,” said Washington Dennis, the man after whom the lane is now named. “Me born and grow in Newlands district. Mi run up and down and then mi see sey me never have nowhere for myself so me come over here and build a shed and see sey mi could stay fi a time so me build up me room and then people start come in and we gwaan live an ting,” he recalled.

But, he says, he now recognises the importance of legally accessing water and light.

“We getting the water regularised is a great thing because we neva have wata so powerful so before. It’s better for me and the other people dem weh deh pon di lane because people can pay dem bills now and we have a chance to get the land. We not worrying ’bout paying bills because dat haffi gwaan. There’s a first in everything so we have to put wi head to it and deal wid it. Mi give tanks and praise sey it can go so,” he said.

Added activist for the People’s National Party (PNP) and seven-year Washington Mews resident, Rosemarie Grant: “It has been a major step for us so that at least we can see that we are moving towards development. It’s really all about development and not about politics. Mr Dalling (Westchester division, JLP) is here as a councillor and has brought us far as our local political representative. The Member of Parliament (Colin Fagan, PNP) wouldn’t have the time as (Dalling) does to work as he has been working so I appreciate it,” she said.

Dalling, who defeated the PNP’s Arnaldo Brown in the local government elections of 2007, disclosed that while Washington Mews was the only squatter situation in his division, there were others with illegal water and electricity connections.

“The next area we’ll move to is Portmore Lane, Portmore Gardens and Rat Town. Rat Town is a part of Portmore Gardens and Portmore Lane is phase two of Portmore Gardens. We’ll be regularising the water supply in all these areas,” he said.