Letter of the Day | Water Commission vs gunmen

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The National Water Commission claims that their assertion that 'Water is Life' is not just a slogan to them. So let us examine this claim.

A slogan is a memorable phrase and it is a fact that their slogan 'Water is Life' is indeed memorable. The commission claims that their slogan is not just a slogan but I am reminded of the saying "actions speak louder than words". With this in mind, I can assert with a clear conscience that there is a credibility shortfall in their claim that the slogan is more than a slogan to them.

I am a resident of Green Acres, St Catherine, and I can confidently say that it is a matter of record that the commission has claimed that they have had pump problems several times during 2018 alone. I would have thought that since 'Water is Life' in their minds, they would treat problems with the water pump with a sense of urgency, just as how they would expect to be treated at a hospital if they had a medical emergency.

Does the commission care?

Typically, when I call the commission's contact centre I am told that they are working hard to resolve the matter. I was told this again on Boxing Day so I decided to pay a visit to the pump station. On my two visits to the pump station, one in the morning and the other in the early afternoon, I saw not a single employee nor a vehicle for the commission. Nonetheless, I called out "Water commission!" and blew my car horn but there was no response. What I heard was a sound that I interpreted to be that of a pump that was 'not working'. How can the service standard of the Commission be regarded as anything above subterranean? My personal opinion is that the commission does not care to give even rock bottom service. I believe that I can find their service level just below the aquifer.

Let me thank the commission for its generous Christmas gift of no water for most of that day and a couple of consecutive days prior to that very important holiday.

I shall conclude by saying that if 'Water is Life' as the commission asserts, why does the commission take away the lives of so many Jamaicans?

Would it be incorrect to say that the commission is more dangerous to Jamaicans than gunmen, given that they take away the lives/water of so many people?

Hugh Beckford