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While their main roads and farm roads are immaculately paved, the residents of Wire Fence, which borders Trelawny and Manchester, are adamant that the time has come for them to get potable water in their pipes.

Winsome Lewis is one of a handful of entrepreneurs living and operating business establishments in Wire Fence who believe that they should be able to enjoy the privilege of having access to the precious commodity.

“We have a water problem for many years. We use to have piped water in the community, but from as far back as the 1980s, we have not had water in those pipes,” Lewis told WESTERN STAR.

She insisted that the issue can be solved through “collaborative and meaningful efforts”.

“However, since then, we have been buying trucked water, and when that is not available, we have to rely on the rain,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lewis said that the community is further suffering as its bright minds are not returning there after graduating from universities.

“When people leave for college, they don’t come back to the area because there is no work or opportunities for entrepreneurial pursuit in the community,” she said. “If the Albert Town area is developing by way of new businesses and the expansions of existing ones, it could serve as a catalyst to those who have attained tertiary education to return to the area.”

The area is known largely for the cultivation of yam, so Lewis believes that establishing a factory to produce by-products of yam, such as yam chips, would be another viable means of employment for Wire Fence and neighbouring communities.