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Water problem could cause school closure By George Henry, Freelance Writer SPALDINGS, Clarendon: THE 2001/02 academic year is only a few days old and at least one school says it is already on the verge of closing its doors. Principal of the Spaldings High School Alphansus Davis told The Gleaner on Wednesday that the shortage of water could force him to close the school as the current supply was inadequate to keep the facility going. Mr. Davis explained that from July, the National Water Commission (NWC) promised to supply the school with water on a continuous basis but has failed to fulfil its promise. Only three truck loads of the commodity have been delivered to the school since then. "I have been begging them to the point where I have stopped begging and now we are faced with closure," said the principal. NWC community relations officer at the Mandeville regional office, Karen Brown, said yesterday that her officer could not recall making a promise to deliver water to Spaldings High on a regular basis. Mr. Davis said closure was averted Monday, the first day of the school year, after he decided to pay for a truck of water, even though the budget of the institution does not allow for purchase of water from private suppliers. Noting that the private water delivery was expensive at between $4,000 and $6,000 per truck load, Mr. Davis said the school did not have sufficient funds to sustain this. "Last week I had to buy four loads but now that school has re-opened I might have to purchase five or six loads per week and I will not be able to keep up with that," he emphasised. NWC said it despatched a truck load of water to the school yesterday, but the school said it was insufficient for its daily needs. Mr. Davis also noted that the need for water was more urgent with a slight increase in the student population. He pointed out too that the school teams are in preparation for football and netball competitions and will need water for bathing during the days of training. There are over 1,800 students at the institution.
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