Squatters complain about high water
The following story combines two problems that we’ve covered many times before. The first is illegal squatters who build makeshift houses on land that isn’t theirs, while the second is the propensity for certain newly developed areas of Port Loyola to retain large amounts of water following heavy rains. It’s hard to tell which of the problems has the greatest chance of solution, but in the end it boils down to resources, both human and financial.
Tony Palacio, Squatter
“I gone by the office and they tell me no land noh deh back here and so. I got wah family and I dah wah Belizean too same way. I mean, I noh mind live back here noh, cause I have to survive you know.”
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The nightmare behind Jane Usher Boulevard is largely of their own making as several families have taken up residence on public land without permission. Now they are faced with all the difficulties that go with the lack of proper infrastructure. Therese Neal says the children are the ones hit hardest by the problem.
Therese Neal, Squatter
“Soon dah mawning when them kids wake up they have to go there. Sometimes their footwear drop from there right in the water, sometimes they have to miss school because then due to the water problem.”
Tony Palacio
“Difficulties dah like I tell you, too much water. When the tide raise and when it rains too much, the water just mess up everything.”
Therese Neal and Tony Palacio have been living in these conditions for over five years. And while they have seen better times, newcomer to the neighborhood, Jose Arias, says the high water is the worst he has seen it in seven months.
Jose Arias
“All them houses here, they don’t have bathroom or whatever, something like that. And people have to go do them thing behind them house or out on the canal over that side. But if you see the water, that’s the problem.”
And it didn’t take very long before the squatters, even though they are aware of their status, started making demands and pointing the finger of blame.
Therese Neal
“Well I noh even know if we have an area representative, because we don’t see nobody from since the election we noh see nobody. So that’s why I come this stage that I have to come on the T.V. so I can seek for help, because it’s for all our benefit here. Mostly for my kids that I am doing this.”
Patrick Jones
“But these conditions, you helped to create these conditions by coming to live here when they didn’t tell you to come live here.”
Tony Palacio
“Well where else am I going to live. They have any place for me, then. I gone to them already. Mek I get wah piece of land. No land noh deh, this, that, that. So weh you want mek I do? Sleep out a door and I have wah family to same way.”
Therese Neal
“We just come and squat here because then we tired of paying rent, and sometimes the problem is that we were not working, you know. And we feel so glad that we don’t have to pay house rent, so that’s the problem we are faced with.”
And what assistance are the residents asking for?
Jose Arias
“First of all this water, I don’t know if because of the work they do over that side over the Port, they stop up the water right. So probably the first thing to do is go over there so, what they could do over there so, so that they water could run out right. And the other problem is the drinking water. We have to go two blocks from here over there to get the water right. And we have big family, so that means that lot of water we have to the back. So I no know if there is possibility that WASA could bring their pipes to over this side.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
This evening the Ministry of Health was in the area providing vaccinations for children.
