For most of yesterday there was just a trickle of water in the pipes across the parish. The entire country was hit by a severe water shortage yesterday as a result of strike action by unionised workers at the state-owned NWC. - PHOTO BY DALTON LAING
THE NATIONAL Water Commission (NWC) last night said the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) could be required to increase its support to assist with manning the company's plants.
Speaking on 'Good Evening Jamaica' on Power 106FM, Charles Buchanan, the NWC's corporate public relations manager, said this would be a necessity in the event that the strike at the utility company was not speedily resolved.
Yesterday, JDF soldiers assisted the NWC to maintain water supply in some communities, according to Major Charlene Steer, public information officer at the JDF.
However, she said assistance was being provided on a case by case basis.
SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS AFFECTED
Several schools and hospitals were affected by the islandwide strike. In St. Catherine, some schools were forced to close early, as there was no alternative to tapped water from the NWC system.
Dorrett Campbell, director of communications in the Ministry of Education and Youth, said the disruption in water supply would have affected students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and internal examinations. She said efforts would be made truck water to affected schools.
The Clarendon police also encountered difficulties as a result of the strike. For several hours yesterday detainees at the May Pen lock-up pounded doors and grills demanding water from station guards.
Commanding Officer for the parish, Superintendent Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, told The Gleaner that efforts were being made to truck water to the facility.
The deserted premises of the National Water Commission and the closed gate plastered with placards at the NWC's office in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.
