Gary Morgan (left) and Desworth Langley residents of Marley Hill, Manchester point to the damage done to the district's sole Postal Agency by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The residents are forced to travel some three miles to Cross Keys to collect their mail. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Residents of the small, rustic community of Marley Hill in south Manchester, say they feel neglected and ignored, especially by those who have vowed to serve them, and are calling on the authorities to respond to their needs.

Chief among the residents' concerns is a severe shortage of piped water. They say they have been living without the precious commodity for close to ten years, and believe nothing is being done to rectify the problem. They further complain that a political tug-of-war between the member of parliament and councillor for the area is standing in the way of getting things done.

However, when contacted, MP for South Manchester, Michael Peart, argued that the water situation had nothing to do with a political wrestling match between himself and Jamaica Labour Party councillor, Hiceval Brown, as purported by the residents.

He said getting piped water running in Marley Hill was one of the projects currently being worked on by the National Water Commission (NWC), but that the programme had hit a roadblock due to a shortage of funding.

At present, the only source of water for residents of Marley Hill is a tank that serves the communities of Cocoa Walk, Marley Hill and Thatch Walk; but the residents say the water from the container is often grimy and unsuitable for drinking and cooking.

In addition to their water woes, the citizens are without a postal agency. The last one was damaged during Hurricane Ivan, some five years ago, leaving individuals, even the elderly, to travel for miles to collect their mail. The complaint is that they have to spend close to $140 on taxi fare to go to Cross Keys, three and a half miles away, to collect their mail.

unbearable

"The only word we know down here is no - no post office, no water, no work, no one fi talk fi we, nothing," Desworth Langley told The Sunday Gleaner.

Langley has been living in the community all his life and says the water situation has become more unbearable with every passing year, especially for the children and the elderly. "We nuh see wi MP, and wi nuh si no councillor," he added.

"The water in the tank is dirty. We hardly even want fi use it fi bathe, especially the young children dem. You just use it because you can't do any better," Langley said.

He further lamented that water was only available when it rained, which only happened sporadically during the drought months. "We live at the mercy of the rain. Sometimes, it rain fi two days straight, and one next time, it nuh rain again fi all four, six months. So, sometimes we nuh have no water in the tank," Langley lamented.

The residents say there is a water truck that is supposed to provide them with clean water, but the system is disorganised, as most times, the truck runs out of water before it gets to them.

Gary Morgan, who is a melon farmer, says his crops have been suffering because of the lack of water. "Right now the dry weather a kill me, plus if mi have water inna di pipe, mi coulda depend pon that, but nothing," he said. "Right now, a ten years mi inna farming and mi a plan fi try something else," Morgan says.

Peart disclosed that he would be meeting with representatives from the water company tomorrow to get a further update on the project.

He said part of the work to be done includes replacing the old and environmentally unfriendly asbestos pipes with new, safer ones, particularly those running between Cross Keys and Pusey Hill. He said the first phase of the project - which involved the bidding process of selecting a contractor to complete the job - had been completed, but that the work could not begin because there was no money.

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Councillor for the district, Hiceval Brown, said she was willing to comment on the issue, but she was indisposed at the time. She said the newspaper should call later when it was more convenient.

When contacted, NWC represent-tatives were unable to provide information on the costs and the time frame associated with the project.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com