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Roughly 10 years ago when Karen Palmer opened her own salon, she knew she was destined for greatness.

She became one of the go-to persons in the community when anyone wanted their hair done.

Now with a lack of water in her pipeline, the Rosalee Avenue resident said she has lost customers rapidly and her business is heavily affected.

Palmer told THE STAR that this community in the Waltham Park area has been without water from last November.

She said this is not because of drought but the roadwork that is going on along that corridor.

"Sometimes wi affi spend all $7,000 fi buy water and it a last like one week, so the people dem weh nuh have no money to buy water; I don't know how they survive. Business gone bad because I don't have water," she said.

Another resident, Donna, said that prior to the roadwork, they did not have any problems, but now water is very limited.

"We usually get a likkle in the pipe a night time and by morning it gone but since January, it gone completely," she said.

Receiving bills

With no water in their pipes, the residents did not expect bills, but, according to them, they are receiving bills up to $3,000 monthly, which, when inquiries were done, they were told it was maintenance fee that had to be paid.

Corporate communications manager for the National Water Commission, Charles Buchanan, said that in some cases persons are billed on whether they have a fixed estimate or a meter.

He explained that in some cases, the fixed rate is what persons are currently paying, even though they are receiving limited water.

"Their billing would continue based on how the billing system is set up. If they are un-metered and are on a flat rate, fixed estimate, it means that regardless of how much water they would normally use, they would be charged a fixed amount," he said, adding that fixed estimate usually works in the customer's favour. "The unfortunate situation is when you have disruptions like this; the fixed estimate is going to stay and keep billing."

The news team was informed that a representative from the NWC went to the community last week; however, they were not told when they would get water in their pipes again.

Clarence, who is a mechanic, said that he no longer has the luxury to change his uniform daily as he has to think about preserving water.

"See this (the uniform) hot, enuh, but weh mi fi do? Mi affi put on this fi go work because if mi fi go bout mi a put on clothes every day, mi nah go have no water to wash it. You see if you wash you hand, you better save that water to flush the toilet," he said.

Palmer said: "We nuh use the water weh wi buy cook because wi nuh know weh it a come from, so wi affi buy bottle water fi drink and cook wid."

Buchanan said that the agency is aware of the water woes facing the wider Waltham Park area and would be seeing how best the issue can be resolved.