As we reported at the top of the newscast, Belizeans across the country woke up this morning without access to running water. Belize Water Services Limited confirmed that the majority of their workers did not show up for work this morning and running water wasn't restored until early this afternoon. And while you still have access to water right now, service will be cut at 10 tonight. And from 10 pm you will be out without water until 6 am tomorrow morning.
A Belize Water Services representative told us that these planned outages are the best compromise they could come up with for customers since the majority of their 220 employees are union members and are on strike. And while their direct action has really gotten the attention of the entire nation, what has the water outage meant for regular folks with children and minute-to-minute water needs. We today found out that on southside Belize City, they are down with the cause, but not necessarily with the tactics.
Keith Swift Reporting,
On Flamboyant Street this Thursday morning it was like a holiday with school aged children out of class and out in the streets. But this was no holiday in the park for residents - this was a day without water.
Area Resident #1: Well there is no water and man can't even bathe to go to school, that isn't right. We have to have water and light. You can't shut those down.
KS: So you haven't showered yet for today?
Area Resident #1: Yes because I saved my water.
KS: So you prepared for it?
Area Resident #1: Yes I prepared for it but they said this may be longer than 3 days and we only prepared for three days. We want our water back. We are not into that.
A few streets away, Lavern is equally frustrated after waking up to no water, a house full of children home from school, and shops closed.
Lavern: It is really stressful. Honestly, it is stressful. For start with, we don't even have water to bathe with. I want a message reach to the Prime Minister to please do what he has to do because we the poor are suffering out here and we don't deserve this. We can't even go to buy anything right now because all the places in downtown are closed down. We didn't have money yesterday, well I personally didn't, to go and do any kind of shopping. I don't know what I will eat right now. We are suffering as I explained to you because we don't have any water to drink, we don't have water to bathe with or water to do any kind of housework with right now.
KS: And your kids aren't in school?
Lavern: That is the next frustration again because they like that they are out of school but it is frustrating for us who are home right now with them. But the water is the main thing for me right now because I haven't taken a bath from morning. I need to bathe and freshen up. The Prime Minister can buy purified water to bathe with and I can't afford that. These things are madness.
And while Lavern tries to deal with the madness and her anger, two other families we met found a way to cope. These drums filled with water are a product of diligent pre-planning. From as early as Monday Jose and Denia's families started to prepare for the possibility of a water strike so this morning while most woke up without water, she had in reserve.
Denia: We started to carry water yesterday in the evening. We started from the morning but we finished with (filling the) the drums in the evening.
KS: How long will this supply be able to last you?
Denia: I don't think this can go for long because the kids have to go to school.
Jose: From Monday we were hearing rumors that they were going to cut off the light and the water and so from yesterday we fill up some buckets and barrels with water. We saved some water for any necessaries like wash, cook, or something like that.
KS: How long will this supply be able to last you?
Jose: Well I hope it won't be too long because we have water but it won't last for long.
Most of these residents, including those who did not wish to appear on camera, say they are willing to bear the inconvenience of no school and no water because they are down with the cause.
Jose: I support it because right now government is raising too much income tax and those things and people are not receiving the salaries they should be getting.
Lavern: To be truthful I have to be on the side of the unions and the businesses. That is why as I said, if the Prime Minister was doing the right thing in the House we wouldn't have been going through this today.
KS: So you don't mind taking the punishment?
Lavern: It doesn't matter if I mind; I have to go through it because I can't do any better.
Again we advise that the next planned shutdown for water is from 10 pm tonight through to 6 am tomorrow morning. You will have water service from 6 in the morning until 9 and then service will be off from 9 am through to 5 in the evening.
An interesting perspective on this today came from the Public Utilities Commission which noted that the actions of the unions are illegal under the essential services act. An official pointed 7NEWS to the act which makes provisions for settling trade disputes when it involves essential services. The act prescribes penalties for union members participating in industrial actions, which can include fines and or jail time. That is however highly unlikely to occur.
As we reported at the top of the newscast, the city was today paralyzed by a shutdown of most private sector businesses and all schools. Many closed in solidarity with the Chamber and Business Bureau protest and others because of the fear of unrest in the streets and the possibility of being singled out for not standing in solidarity. But whatever the reason, the shutdown was effective and its left to be seen how it will fare tomorrow in the city as the political restlessness moves west to Belmopan.
But while it has worked in the city, how effective was the shutdown in other parts of the country? We polled a number of community figures and found that it was in effect, if not quite as effective. In San Ignacio, 50% of businesses are reported to be shut down, along with banks and gas stations. In Punta Gorda, the shutdown is reported to have been largely ineffective as almost all businesses were opened today. In Belmopan, most businesses were also opened, but a few say they will close down tomorrow as protest converge on the capital city. In Orange Walk town, a vast majority of the businesses shut down, leaving only banks and gas stations open. In Corozal town, most businesses are reported to have been opened except Chinese groceries. Again, we note that all schools countrywide were reported closed.
