Wrenches now needed to turn on standpipes in Bains and Grants Town

Wrenches now needed to turn on standpipes in Bains and Grants Town

Irate resident says pumps are difficult to access  

Residents in the Bains and Grants town community have found themselves in a quagmire. While the government has supposedly upgraded the aesthetic composition of the community’s water pumps; one resident claimed on Friday that these improvements have left them in a compromising position.

Mark Knowles, a resident who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, told Eyewitness News that there was never a time that he was unable to turn on a standpipe faucet until now.

“If someone comes here to the pump they will need a wrench… most kids who come here, they don’t have wrenches and they would have to see one of the neighbours who can assist them with a wrench,” said the irate resident.

Knowles explained that the PVC pipe that is presently being used at the back of the standpipe is now easier to break than the material that was previously used.

“I saw some fellas from Water Works and they were doing some repairs so I brought them here and they took off the nozzle because the nozzle wasn’t working, but that was a month ago and nothing has been done since,” he claimed.

He said going to the pump has turned out to be more of a task, especially for young children who are often sent by their parents to fill bottles.

“You have a lot of kids come to the pump with their water jugs and they can’t access the pump; they have to find someone,” he said, adding that many persons in the area must access the pump for water to cook and bathe.

“Sometimes early in the morning, you would see [many] children come to get water for school and they can’t get ready for school.”

According to a 2016 report from the Ministry of National Security, 1,036 residents of Bains and Grants town have outside toilets and 1,482 residents have no running water in their homes.