Residents of Jost Van Dyke are expressing growing frustration as they enter their seventh day without running water, a situation that has left many in dire straits. As schools prepare to reopen, the lack of water has added urgency to the crisis.
One resident, voicing the collective anger of the community, told JTV News, “This is the height of nonsense. Tomorrow is the first day of school, and we are only now being told that water is being coordinated to be sent over in trucks on a barge. We on the sister islands continue to be treated cruelly, like stepchildren.”
While the extent of the outage across the island has not been fully confirmed, it is understood that residents in elevated areas have been grappling with water pressure issues for the past week. The complete island-wide outage began on Friday, September 6, due to a breakage in the water system.
Speaking with JTV News, Acting Director of the Water and Sewerage Department, Mr. Brian Davis, explained that the water cut was caused by multiple challenges, including mechanical issues with earth-moving equipment. “We are working to remedy the situation, but the breakage has compounded existing problems we were already addressing on the island.”
Minister of Communications and Works, Honourable Kye M. Rymer, acknowledged the severity of the situation and confirmed that trucks carrying water had been transported to Jost Van Dyke earlier in the day. Both Hon. Rymer and Mr. Davis apologised to affected residents, assuring them that water would likely be restored by the end of Monday, September 9.
However, District Representative Honourable Melvin Mitch Turnbull expressed his disappointment with the handling of the situation, particularly by the Minister of Communications and Works. “I am utterly disappointed in the way the Minister is dealing with the human rights of the people in his district on Jost Van Dyke. This marks the fifth full week without water in the last three months,” he said.
Hon. Turnbull expressed his gratitude to Mr. Brian Davis and the two local employees, Mr. Cecil Chinnery and Mr. Liston Graham, for their tireless efforts to address the crisis. He also urged the Minister to remember that his responsibility extends to the entire British Virgin Islands, including the residents of Jost Van Dyke in the Second District.
As the island waits for water to return, the community remains on edge, hoping for a swift resolution to the ongoing crisis.
