Garbage strewn by the seaside in Rae Town is an eyesore and environmental hazard. - Photo by Paul Williams

Picture life by the sea, the waves washing up on your doorsteps, and at night the cool sea breeze caressing your skin as you laze under the full moon.

It's a private dream for many Jamaicans but for residents of Rae Town, the reality of gunk and garbage is a nightmare.

Built on dumped land by a People's National Party (PNP) government led by Michael Manley, it was supposed to be a prime incoming-earning opportunity for the Rae Town community. Sheds were built to house equipment and other personal belongings. A fishing cooperative was set up. The future looked bright.

Fishing is still the major income earner but the seaside community is suffering from neglect. Life revolves around the polluted sea that provides food for the residents, and is a place where suffering is pronounced.

Over time, the cooperative has collapsed, politics and garrison tribalism have stymied development, and the sheds became permanent residences. In some of the small adjoining compartments, babies were born. Abject poverty and decay are the only constants.

Most of the sheds are now replete with giant cracks. The roofs leak; the interior needs paint. Some sheds are occupied by elderly men. The wrinkles in their faces tell a thousand tales of the sea. On the western side, things are looking up as some of the sheds have been recently refurbished and painted.

Looking for food

Beside the village is a gully that runs to the sea. Mosquito larvae flourish in the stink, brackish water. Seagulls and other marine birds fly about the decaying estuary looking for food.

Nearby is the home of Herbert Asher, a long-time resident and a semi-retired fisherman. As he showed The Gleaner his shack, the green gully water started to rise, as it rained uptown. Asher lives under constant threat of being flooded out, just as the residents who live across the highway.

Two public toilets are in the village; one doesn't function, and the other is reportedly occupied from time to time by homeless people. The village needs bathrooms, wash areas, better toilet facilities. Rae Town cries for help.

paul.williams@gleanerjm.com