AFTER almost 16 years of waiting in vain for assistance, frustrated residents of the isolated community of Chesterfield in St Mary South Eastern have taken matters into their own hands and on Labour Day began building a temporary bridge to get them across the Wag Water River to Junction main road.

“We have to try something for ourselves because the politicians not giving us any assistance. Basically, what we are doing here is helping ourselves,” said Jason Cole, Monday, as he and others mixed cement for a column on which the bridge will rest.

The grim situation of Chesterfield — where the approximately 400 residents, including the elderly and schoolchildren, are forced to wade through the Wag Water River to get from the community to the Junction main road — was highlighted by the Jamaica Observer last December.

During an early-morning visit to the area, the Observer witnessed adults taking off their clothes in order to cross the river. Upon reaching the other side, they dried themselves, then put their clothes back on.

On Monday the residents expressed that it was insulting that, even after the Observer story, their pleas were ignored.

President of the Chesterfield Citizen Association, Derrick Edwards, said the association had over the years solicited help from Government and agencies such as the Jamaican Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the St Mary Parish Council and the National Works Agency (NWA) since 2007, but is yet to receive any concrete offer of assistance to end the citizens’ suffering.

“We have been waiting for far too long. The 23rd of next month (June) will make 16 years since we applied to all those organisations and we are not getting any help; dem always seh dem nuh have nuh funds. So the whole community decided to come together and start the bridge because we can’t wait any longer,” Edwards said.

“We never had a bridge, it’s really bad for us. People cannot go to work frequently; children can’t go to school, dem have exams all the while and can’t go,” he said, noting that residents have to abort their plans during heavy rainfall as the river flooded and leaves the community marooned for up to four days.

“People have baby right unda da stone deh,” Edwards said, pointing to a huge boulder on the river bank, “because when dem come yah suh, the river come down and dem caa go cross, people all drown inna di river.”

“We are in a desperate position; we need urgent assistance,” he said.

However, Edwards said that the construction of the temporary bridge is being done to register the community’s desperation, as it will not provide much relief.

“We are building the temporary bridge, but the river will still be ableto cover it same way… but we will be able to use it after the water goes down to a level,” he explained.

He said that the NWA had, in the past, informed them that it will cost $41 million to build a bridge for the community, but that the funds were not available.

“We even wrote to the NWA and the Ministry of Works and JSIF asking them to merge to see what they could do, along with the community, ’cause we the community people will give our labour free of cost just to get the assistance, because we are in the hurricane season and we are fretting,” he explained.

Tasheika Edwards, the association’s secretary, added: “We would really like some assistance because we have been trying for so long, and one of the agencies, the NWA, told us that they have the structure but they don’t have the money.That’s why we were asking them to merge, but they said they could not facilitate that idea.”

She said that the association has tried but has not been able to get the Member of Parliament to meet with them.

“We are going through a very difficult time and it’s very hard, especially for the children who live here. When they have to go across the river with their big bags, it is not easy, and we have been waiting for so long, we need some help,” she said.

Vice-president of the association, Dervin Cole, expressed similar concerns.

“I have been living in this community for almost 40 years; from I was 17 I built my house. And from dem time until now we have been struggling to come out and to get into the community. Whenever time the river comes down it is so devastating. We are still hoping to have a bridge, but right now we tek it in our hands,” he said, as he promised that the community would resist any effort by the authorities to halt the construction.

He complained that the lack of a bridge has put distance between himself and his 22-year-old daughter.

“Mi almost lose her, because she is not visiting me any more because of the river, and right now mi nuh have nuh hope of leaving because me nuh like nowhere like right yah suh,” he said.

Another resident, Angella Davis, said that worry has beset the community as the beginning of the hurricane season nears.

“It hard pon we over here. Right now the time is dry so it is easy, but when it start black up we start fret. We nuh have it easy at all; those who have small children haffi run go fi dem before the river come down, and when we want anything on the road we haffi go out early and come in back before the river come down,” Davis said.

Residents said the situation has also robbed them of their dignity.

“It’s is very difficulty and very embarrassing, because when the water gets high, you have to take off your clothes to get across,” Romaine Hunt said, saying that he was still hopeful that the authorities will come to their assistance.