MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Local political leaders are urging citizens to cover their water catchment tanks in the wake of the death by drowning of a seven-year-old boy.

On September 4, Rivaldo Dwyer of Levy Lane in Mandeville drowned when he reportedly attempted to swim in an open tank in the yard where he lived.

While there are apparently no laws to compel property owners to secure water tanks, Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay, Councillor of the Mandeville Division Jones Oliphant, and Member of Parliament for North West Manchester, Mikael Phillips say people should act responsibly.

“We encourage householders to protect tanks as much as possible…,” said Oliphant.

Ramsay was of the same accord, insisting that citizens should be prepared to take responsibility for safety and security.

Oliphant argued that cost should not be an issue.

“Sometimes it is just the will to do something, just a matter of taking time out. We don’t have to have an excuse (about cost of fencing and covering)…,” he said.

He suggested that bamboo and other material which are not costly can be used as barriers.

“If it is an abandoned tank or open drain that holds water I would encourage my constituents to erect barriers to protect the area,” he said.

Much of rural Jamaica remains dependent on water catchment tanks in the absence of piped water from the National Water Commission (NWC).

Phillips, whose constituency includes the New Green Primary and Junior High School which Dwyer attended, made a “fervent appeal” for families with catchment tanks to find ways to protect them, particularly for the sake of their small children.

He noted that only about 45 per cent of the homes in his constituency have potable water through the NWC and many were therefore reliant on rainwater catchment tanks.

Dwyer’s father Ryan, who lived apart from his son, said he fainted when he learnt of his death. He is struggling to cope, he disclosed.

“He was very jovial, liked to play, loved cartoons. He had a bright future ahead. I don’t even know how I am coping,” the grieving father told the Jamaica Observer Central.

The Manchester police say they are continuing their investigations.