So Jamaica has always been known as the land of wood and water... mainly because of the excessive amounts of wood and water that we normally have. I mean really there are like rivers in every parish (well... I think except manchester though I maybe wrong). In essence to say that Jamaica has water problems should sound like some sick joke given by some low budget out of touch comedian... Except now. You see since last year we have been in a drought. So much so that the National Water Commission (NWC) has had to put in place water restrictions across much of Jamaica but more specifically in the parishes of Kingston & St. Andrew... the busiest parishes in Jamaica where almost everything businesswise and important to Jamaica takes place.

The rainfall has been really poor over the last year... how poor? In 2009 even hurricanes avoided us, not one single tropical storm, depression, or even a cold front (thats's not a source of rainfall is it geologists?), passed over Jamaica. It was like Jamaica was surrounded by some protective forcefield that ensured that we would not experience any natural disasters whatsoever. This was a good thing because we didn't have to spend what little money we have on disaster recovery after these particularly disasterous events (see Hurricanes Ivan, Dean, Gustav). However this was bad because the hurricane season and the accompanying rainfall is a major source of water for the island and is where we look to fill our dams (especially the two dams that supply the corporate area with water). This has led to falling water levels in the dams which mean no water for corporate Jamaica.

People have been quarrelling since the last drought a few years back that this is all the NWC's fault and that they should've been doing more to adequately supply the corporate area with water, and in all fairness this is really true. See the Mona Reservoir and the Hermitage Dam (809 and 393 million gallon capacities respectfully), were built in the 1950's when the total population of Kingston & St. Andrew were nothing more than probably 150,000 people. This figure has of course increased since that time and current estimates place the population of the area in the region of 650,000 people. Of course one would assume that since the dams were built 60 years ago and with a 300% rise in population something would of course have to be done, some amount of upgrading or something... Well that is what I like to refer to as logical thought. Here in Jamaica we dont use those kind of archaic systems... logic... psh.

So being the extremely proactive people we are (yes there is heavy sarcasm there), we waited until the problem reached its current levels and there are now water restrictions everywhere in Kingston & St. Andrew. Considering the fact that people still have to go to school and work and do regular day to day activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing etc. Life has become pretty problematic for people in the corporate area. I cant even imagine how people go to school/work under these conditions...

**Picture taken from the Jamaica Observer

Apparently the problem is not Jamaican alone and as pretty much caribbean as well which now makes me have to make the very wierd plea of... can we get a few hurricanes this year please?... or at least some nice weeklong rainfall wouldn't be bad