ST ANDREW, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for St Andrew West Rural, Krystal Tomlinson has pledged to bring to an end the decades of water woes for residents in the constituency.

According to the party, residents have often had to do without the supply, despite promises made over many years to rectify the problem.

Tomlinson says she has drafted a plan that includes water banks and the laying of pipelines for districts that are outside of the existing potable water delivery structure.

The water bank plan proposes to provide grants for the building of home and community catchment systems and rainwater harvesting systems, purchase black tanks and pay for water trucking.

Tomlinson acknowledged that the fix is not a simple one but said that local government and constituents need to work together to build more resilience in the water supply chain, starting with water catchment facilities.

“This is only the beginning,” she said. “My proposal, in the short-term, is to do something at the local level. To decentralise it and give communities some level of authority and autonomy over managing their water resources.”

According to Tomlinson, St Andrew West Rural has endured water problems for too long and innovative solutions must be found to give families the chance of living better lives.

So far, she said, she has sought to fill the water gap during COVID-19 through the Krystal Cares initiative, by getting private sponsors, through a GoFundMe appeal, to pay for trucking water to the constituency.

Between March and August, over 100 residents have benefitted from the distribution efforts, Tomlinson reported.

Noting that this short-term solution cannot remedy the problem, Tomlinson expressed hopes that as member of Parliament, she will be able to establish the water bank plan and bring much-needed relief to residents throughout the constituency.