Marlie Hill thirsts
Published:Friday | September 24, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer
MARLIE HILL, a small farming community in south Manchester, has numerous problems, but residents say they can live with all other difficulties if they could just get piped water.
"Even if electricity is not down here, if we have this … ," said one resident, pointing to the damaged pipeline laying along the roadway that used to take water into their homes.
"You see if we had this? This is power. This is strength," he added, an obvious reference to the fact that farming is the main economic activity for many in the community.
Marlie Hill is located some 15 miles south of Mandeville, the parish capital, but Owen Morgan, a long-time resident, said the community has not had piped water for more than a decade. The official reason, he said, was that the pump at the storage facility in Marlie Hill was damaged.
Morgan said the community cannot escape some of the blame as, according to him, some people did not pay their water bills while some farmers used the "domestic" water for irrigation purposes.
Stories of hardship
The result has been untold stories of hardships for Marlie Hill residents. Oneil Beckford, a farmer whose watermelon, tomato and sweet-pepper crop provides his only source of income, said his losses are too much to count. Beckford said he invests as much as $30,000 every time he plants a new crop.
"Some time I can barely make back my money, some time I lose it," he complained.
"When it is not dry weather, it is too much rain and when you come in (go to market), there is no price; so you lose all your money," he lamented.
"People wonder how we survive around here because we have nothing else to live off," he added.
Even the students at Marlie Hill Primary School cannot escape the inconvenience of no piped water.
Acting principal Jennifer Crawford said while the Ministry of Education keeps them adequately supplied, students are forced to used pit latrines instead of flushing toilets.
"I would love for them to use the modern bathrooms but instead they are using toilets (latrines) and they are having discomfort," said Crawford.
Water tanks, the 800- and 1,000-gallon containers which sell for up to $5,000, are a common sight throughout Marlie Hill.
They are used to store water the residents are forced to purchase for as much as $8,000 from trucks that make regular visits to the community.
Two water tanks were placed at different locations in Marlie Hill for those who cannot afford to buy tanks. The problem was, both tanks were empty when The Gleaner visited the community last Friday.
One resident, Martin Reid, said the tanks are replenished every month, but they are empty within hours.
"You know, more people here want the water than what John read about, so before the truck move, the tank empty," Reid said.
The residents complained of poor representation and appealed for help to restore piped water to the area, saying they have learnt their lesson.
"The major problem is the lack of water. You see, if we can get back running water ... is that we want back. We will work and pay our water rate," said Beckford.