Chateau demands regular water flow and better roads

June 07, 2021
A poorly kept section of the roadway through Chateau.
A poorly kept section of the roadway through Chateau.
Althea Taylor expresses her concerns about the dust nuisance.
Althea Taylor expresses her concerns about the dust nuisance.
Charles Jr
Charles Jr
Robert Grant, councillor caretaker of Palmers Cross Division.
Robert Grant, councillor caretaker of Palmers Cross Division.
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Residents in Chateau, Clarendon, are bemoaning water woes and deplorable road conditions.

THE STAR understands that the water supply system used by Chateau was moved to another area to facilitate the housing development project being carried out by the National Housing Trust in Birds Hill. This has resulted in different areas having running water at different times.

But People's National Party councillor caretaker for the Palmers Cross Division, Robert Grant, said the water situation has spanned several years and has become unbearable.

"It's really causing a whole lot of discomfort for the residents in Chateau and other communities in the division as well. There are some days when the citizens can get water in their pipes, and there are some days when the commodity is just not running. The entire division of Palmers Cross is plagued with a water situation," he said.

One resident said that Chateau gets water from Tuesday night to Friday morning, while another community has it from Friday to Tuesday.

"Five days them get it and we only get for three. We are plagued with lack of water and bad roads," the resident said. "We are very short on development and one of the cards that Mr Charles Jr ran on was that he was going to address the water and road problem and one year into his tenure, nothing has been addressed. I don't think he has seen back this community two times, and this is a community that is hosting the biggest development in Clarendon which is the multibillion-dollar housing scheme in Birds Hill."

Business owner Althea Taylor told THE STAR that the dust from the road is a nuisance and trucks that transport material to the housing project have further damaged the thoroughfare.

"The dust is killing me. When it's really dry, everything comes right inside. Every day I have to be dusting, cleaning and washing. It's really horrible," she said. "It's just marl being thrown and pressed and as soon as they're having political meetings, they throw marl, wet it, press it and that's it again for another couple months or years."

Member of Parliament for Clarendon South East, Pearnel Charles Jr, told THE STAR that efforts are under way to alleviate the woes in Chateau. He said road repairs have been delayed, as efforts are being channelled into ensuring efficacy and longevity of infrastructure.

"I do not favour doing roads without doing the water systems, because you will end up destroying the road after it is done to put in the water if you do it in the wrong sequence," he explained.

He noted that the water system going up to Birds Hill is almost complete, adding that pressure testing and sterilisation are currently being carried out.

"Once that is done, then National Works Agency can come in and do their complete assessment and we can begin to press again to see how we can get some road repair," he said.

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