Needham Pen needed another option and found one.

Jean McDonald, like many of her neighbours in the St Thomas district, have given up on the National Water Commission (NWC), and are paying a private entity to truck water and fill their Rhino tanks.

McDonald has two 1,000-gallon tanks on her property, a decision she made after years of inconsistent water supply. The two tanks avail her over 7,000 litres of water, and she said this serves her for over three months.

“Dem [NWC] woulda make me stink before me get little water. And yet, they are sending the bill. A pure air in the pipe. So, I done with NWC. I pay $14,000 to full two tanks. I used to pay $10,000 for the two of them, but it raise the other day. That better than getting bill to pay what I did not use,” McDonald told the Jamaica Observer last Tuesday.

McDonald also related that she plans too purchase another two tanks.

“This is better to me, than the water from the pipe, because there’s no water from the pipe for years. A me alone in my house, so the water serve me a good little while. My water in the Rhino serve me for about three months. So, $14,000 every three months. That better than paying water rate. I don’t want back no more pipe or water from NWC,” she continued.

Other residents who depend on NWC said there is a system in place where they call or visit customer service to request water. They said they show proof that they have paid their bills and a truck from the utility company visits their home in subsequent days to provide the water.

“We have to request water while paying water bill. Right now, nuh water nuh deh here and dem still a send bill come give people. So, everybody a try get a one or two Rhino [tank],” McDonald said.

Last Thursday, the Sunday Observer brought the issue to the attention of NWC’s Communications Manager Andrew Canon, and asked if checks could be made. Up until Saturday, no response was provided.

Sheryl Barrett, too, invested in Rhino tanks. She has four, but told the Sunday Observer that she also requests water from NWC.

Tuesday afternoon, she said she was headed out to “put in request for water before the water in my tank done”.

“You go down to NWC to the customer service section, and they ask for your name and your bill. After that, they send a water truck to full your tank. We don’t know when the water truck will come. They don’t charge us when the truck comes, because we already paid and showed them the water bill,” she explained.

But there is a reason why she also utilises the private supplier to fill her tanks.

“I pay $3,000 to full one of the tanks. The last time, the way how I wanted water, I paid $4,000 to full one tank. You can’t wait on water commission to come and full tanks. By the time dem reach, everywhere mess up; you can’t flush your toilet, you can’t eat, you can’t make breakfast, you can’t bathe.

“You can’t wait on them. They take too long. So, if I have one or two tanks left, I try to go and put in the request before they are finished. That way, I have enough time for them to come and full the others,” she told the Sunday Observer.

She said she has been forced to use water meagrely.

“I use rainwater to do cleaning, wipe, wash the vehicle… I just tip my bleach in it and use it.”

Unlike others, Sandra Anglin has been getting water. But it is nothing to beat her chest about.

“About two years now, the water is not coming in the shower nor the tall standpipe. It is in the lower one, but not very strong. The pressure is not heavy, so it cannot full my tank. And if there is no water in the tank, we have to get it from the water truck. And we have to pay for that. And I still get bills despite the low supply,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Businesswoman Alvira Watson said three years ago she had NWC run new pipes, hoping it would rectify the lack of water.

“I made them cut off the old pipe because I wasn’t getting any water, and connect new pipe and it’s the same problem mi keep on having. Mi nah get no water. The only thing me a get a bill every month. The bill getting bigger and bigger every month and mi not getting any water,” she lamented.

“I have to buy water and full mi tank, or mi haffi use the car and go to pipe fi get water. So, mi nuh know the reason why mi getting bill every month. Right now the bill a over $50,000. Not even a tip of water a come out of the pipe.”

Watson currently has one Rhino tank that serves for her household.

“Mi haffi full that like two times for the month and that cost me $5,000 fi full that tank. We haffi wash and mi raise chicken,” she related.

Livestock farmer Abraham Smelly has no tanks. He said he goes from bucket to bucket, hoping he will have running water one day.

“Right now, no water. A long time no water nuh run bout here suh,” he said.

“Sometime the truck come round come give people water and if me have a two bucket, a suh [me get water.] Sometime I have to walk go way out to the catchment out a road. Sometime all main road yuh haffi take taxi guh fi water. If yuh hear seh little water dung a main, yuh just take a taxi and pay fi go and come with a two bucket,” Smelly added.