Water going to waste in the town of Spaldings in Clarendon last week. - George Henry

Residents of Spaldings in Clarendon are questioning how gallons of water are being allowed to go to waste in the rural town at a time when some sections of the island are suffering from a drought.

Residents, business operators and visitors to Spaldings are expressing concerns that at a time when hundreds of persons are having difficulty accessing potable water in the country due to low or no rainfall, thousands of gallons of the commodity are going to waste at the expense of the Jamaican taxpayer.

The wastage of water reportedly started almost two years when a pipe-laying project to assist with the improvement in water supply to Spaldings and adjoining communities in Clarendon and parts of Manchester began, but is yet to end.

Road users have been forced to suffer inconvenience, to the extent that owners of motor vehicles, especially, have been forced to dig deep into their pockets to purchase parts to replace those damaged by the bad road condition created by the pipe-laying project.

The situation has become a concern, as residents and business operators near the post office have been affected by a large volume of water and mud caused by the defect. Persons have now started to wonder if the defect will continue forever because as soon as the National Water Commission fixes the major leak, it returns.

One business operator said the large volume of water going to waste from the broken main has been having a negative effect on his business, as persons are being made uncomfortable having to be jumping over water.

"This cannot be allowed to continue at the expense of taxpayers. This is more than four times since they claim that the work has been completed that they are digging up the road due to the perennial defect; and I believe those who are fixing it don't have a clue about what is needed to have it corrected once and for all," said the business operator.