Westmoreland residents protest lack of water, electricity
WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Residents of Shoalin in Dalling Street, Westmoreland blocked the road in their community Wednesday morning to call attention to a prolonged interruption in the supply of water and electricity in the area.
The residents used old household appliances and garbage to restrict access to the thoroughfare in front of Doyle’s Funeral home leading to the Llandilo main road.
Scores of motorists had to use alternative routes.
One resident, who identified herself as ‘Kay Kay’ told OBSERVER ONLINE that they have had enough and so decided to take to the streets.
“From ’bout two months now we’ve been experiencing water shortage, we’re tired of it now,” she said.
Venesha Myrie, a meat vendor, said she has lost more than $70,000 worth of goods because of the power outage.
“We’ve made numerous amount of contacts with Jamaica Public Service, they’re telling us that one, a dispatch team is out and secondly, they don’t know when we’ll be getting back the supply,” a distraught Myrie told OBSERVER ONLINE.
She said she desperately needs to reopen her business which she has been closed since Monday.
“Humans mustn’t be living in this condition. We need urgent assistance. We keep calling and we get no assistance. So we decided to take to the street in order for the Government and other authorities to hear our cries,” she added.
Calls to the Jamaica Public Service’s area manager and the National Water Commission employee in charge of the western region went unanswered.