NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore is calling for urgent action to be taken to address the current chronic shortage of water in the resort town of Negril.

Mayor Moore, who is also the councillor for the Negril Division, said the situation cannot be allowed to continue.

“We cannot continue like this in Negril and the surrounding areas. They must, I repeat, they must do something urgently in order to supply the people in these communities,” he stressed, adding that “water is life as it is said by the NWC [National Water Commission], and so the NWC must prepare water and let the people have water in these communities.”

The parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland share Negril, which is being served with water from the Logwood Treatment Plant in Hanover.

Negril currently uses approximately two million gallons of water on a daily basis, while the Logwood plant has the capacity to produce three million gallons.

Negril’s residents, hoteliers and the business community, in general, have long complained about a water shortage particularly during drought-like conditions.

Earlier this month, the National Water Commission announced that there was a 35 per cent decline in the production of the commodity at the Logwood Treatment Plant, due to drought.

The drop in production at the facility has adversely affected communities in Westmoreland such as Negril, Sheffield, Whitehall, West End, Nomperiel, and Norman Manley Boulevard.

Additionally, Orange Bay, Green Island, Winchester, Cauldwell, Flamstead, New Town, Pedro and surrounding areas in Hanover, have also been negatively impacted.

Four years ago, the Jamaica Observer West reported that then minister with responsibility for water, works and housing in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Dr Horace Chang had committed more water for the Negril area.

At that time, the minister stressed that despite the Government’s fiscal limitations, his Administration is committed to addressing the chronic water shortage in the resort town.

Then in August of 2019, president of the National Water Commission Mark Barnett said work is expected to start in 2020 on the long-awaited US$70-million potable water supply improvement project. Under the plan, the existing Roaring River Treatment Plant in Westmoreland, he said, is to be expanded to provide an additional five million gallons of water daily.

To facilitate the expansion programme, the commission, he noted, will be installing a 32-inch trunk main from the Roaring River plant to Sheffield, where an interconnection will be made at that point to the current main coming from Logwood.

Mayor Moore, who said he is yet to see or hear anything further on the project, noted that while the tourism industry is rightfully expanding, there is a need to ensure that the necessary infrastructures are put in place.

“We want to see tourism, but at least we must put in the infrastructure for tourism…we are not in the height of the tourism season now and we are having a water shortage. What will happen when we are in the height of a tourist season?” he questioned.

When contacted, Delano Williams, acting corporate public relations manager at the NWC, said Barnett is expected to address the matter this week.

He disclosed that while not all the details surrounding an implementation date, among other things are available, the multimillion-dollar water project is still being pursued.

He noted that with the recent rainfall, the company has seen a marginal improvement at its Logwood plant.