WITH St Thomas being among the parishes under water prohibition orders amid critically low rainfall and soaring temperatures, schools across the parish say they are prepared to weather the conditions, with storage, conservation measures, and plans to beat the heat in place ahead of the start of the new school year on Monday.

The preparations come as the Government intensifies its response to a worsening drought that has already triggered restrictions on non-essential use of National Water Commission (NWC) supplies in St Thomas and six other parishes.

The prohibition orders, which took effect on August 17 and remain in force until further notice, are intended, in part, to preserve supplies for critical services, including schools.

The Government announced on Tuesday that an additional $500 million has been allocated for the drought response, including $150 million for the NWC to trucks water to schools, health centres, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure.

Water Minister Matthew Samuda said the measure is necessary as the country contends with severe heat, reduced rainfall, and forecasts suggesting that conditions may not improve significantly until early next year.

In response, school administrators in St Thomas told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday that they have been taking steps to ensure that a shortage of piped water does not derail the start of the academic year.

The metal water storage tank at Yallahs Primary School (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

At Yallahs Primary School, Acting Principal Hensley McKenzie said the institution has substantial storage capacity to fall back on should the regular supply be disrupted.

“We have adequate storage for water just in case we turn up and we don’t have any water. I have a metal tank that holds over 10,000 gallons of water and I have two 1,000 gallon rhino tanks,” said McKenzie.

He said the school normally has enough stored water to cover almost three days.

“Water is not really an issue here, because we don’t have frequent disruption in water supply. So I’m confident that we are set to go back to school,” added McKenzie.

According to the acting principal, the school is also making adjustments for the heat, which has been a persistent challenge.

“In terms of the heat, you know we have no control over that, [but] I’m encouraging my teachers to do outside sessions with the kids. If you notice, I’m preparing some seating areas here in blue and white for classes to take place on the outside, and we’ll be having regular heat breaks and so on, and so forth. And you know we will have the fans, and we’ll encourage the children to take water to school so that they can be hydrated,” he explained.

At Port Morant Primary and Junior High School, Principal Rohan Bryan said it is also relying on stored water while taking steps to stretch its supply.

St Thomas Technical High School Vice-Principal Mikena Montaque speaks with the Jamaica Observer during an interview on Tuesday. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

“Well, fortunately for us, we have tanks, and the NWC water system is good…it is okay right now for our community. So we have tanks, there’s another tank there. Plus we have other small tanks, and for now, as I said, the NWC system is reliable,” said Bryan while pointing to the different tanks around the school.

However, Bryan said the school is not treating its current access to piped water as a guarantee, with conservation measures being introduced and the system checked for leaks.

“We’re going to put in a lock-off schedule for the tanks so that we still conserve a little bit of water, because anything can happen,” he said.

The Government has similarly been urging Jamaicans to conserve water, with Samuda saying eastern parishes have recorded rainfall consistently below the 30-year average since April, with conditions worsening in July. The minister has also pointed to increased evaporation associated with the high temperatures.

For the schools, though, the challenge is not only keeping water available but ensuring that children can function in classrooms amid the heat.

According to Bryan, every classroom has at least three fans, while the size and design of the classrooms allow for natural ventilation.

Port Morant Primary and Junior High School Principal Rohan Bryan points to the school’s water storage tanks on Tuesday. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

At St Thomas Technical High School, Vice-Principal Mikena Montaque was similarly confident that water would not immediately become a problem for the institution, which has tanks available if the piped supply fails.

“We don’t have a problem at this time with water. So the drought wouldn’t affect us. We have tanks that we can rely on, just in case water from the pipe is no longer serving the school, we have tanks to replace that. So we don’t have issues with water,” said Montaque.

The school is also equipped to manage the heat, with fans in classrooms and a design that Montaque said encourages ventilation. He also noted that air conditioning is available in staff rooms, enclosed areas, and most offices.

While water and heat are among the major concerns facing schools this term, the three St Thomas institutions also reported that preparations are well advanced in other areas.

Yallahs Primary is scheduled to reopen on September 7, and McKenzie said the school has its full complement of staff, including replacements for teachers on vacation and study leave.

According to Bryan, Port Morant Primary and Junior High School was about 85 per cent ready when the Observer visited.

He pointed out that plumbing work had been completed, windows repaired, and electrical work was nearing completion, while teachers were preparing classrooms and the school was conducting orientations with students and parents.

Bryan said he expected the school to be fully ready by Monday morning.

St Thomas Technical was about 90 per cent ready, according to Montaque, with cleaning and finishing work continuing on sections of the school, including an ongoing construction project.

The schools also reported relatively limited lingering effects from Hurricane Melissa last October.

At Yallahs Primary, McKenzie said the only notable problem was a large branch that had fallen against a fence and was subsequently removed by the groundsman. The school reopened a week after the hurricane.

Bryan said damage at Port Morant was minimal and that existing roof leaks were caused by wear and tear rather than the hurricane.

Montaque said St Thomas Technical suffered no flooding or infrastructure damage and had instead sent members of staff to assist its sister school, Green Pond High School in St James.