A road in Portmore is flooded with water after a National Water Commission main broke recently. Residents in Washington Gardens face a similar problem with a water main that broke in the community on Tuesday.- File

AS PART of our mission to be the People Paper, THE WEEKEND STAR has been highlighting problem areas across the island. Our reporter, Carolyn Johnson, along with photographer Norman Grindley, will focus on a particular area until the problem is fixed. Now we will have a rough idea of how long the relevant authorities take to deal with some of the problems affecting our country.

If you live in Spanish Town or have travelled through the old capital within the last two months, chances are you have had to stay on one side of the road, the good side.

Traffic build-up

Since the National Water Commission (NWC) started their $85 million Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) water project to improve and increase water supply in the St. Catherine and the Corporate Area, it has been hell on the road. As they dig up to re-lay pipes, they take one side of the road with them. Added to the half of a road left to drive on, is a strip dug up across the road every few chains. These have led to a build-up of traffic on most mornings as motorists slow down to take their vehicles through the rubble.

Although far from comforting, a representative from the public relations office of the NWC told the WEEKEND STAR that they would repair the roads as soon as work was completed. She explained, however, that after laying the pipes there was a testing period. This was done to ensure that the pipes and the system were, indeed, working properly. So, until then, the office "apologises for whatever inconvenience the public faces." One suggestion, while they are fixing the system, sort out the water lock off when light gone.

Meanwhile, the residents from Corona Crescent in Washington Gardens, off Washington Boulevard, Kingston 20, would greatly appreciate a visit from the NWC. They told the WEEKEND STAR that a pipe, which broke on Tuesday, is 'washing them out'. Although the problem was reported, nothing has been done.

Though a representative from the NWC call centre told THE WEEKEND STAR that problems are usually addressed within three to five days, she suggested that the issue might not have been addressed because there have been many reports of broken mains recently. Until they appear, gwaan save wat yu can an ketch as much as possible.