There are communities in Jamaica that goes without water for months. There are also those where the water is only turned on once per week but the pipes are usually dry even then. Two of the communities I'm very familiar with. They are Hopeflats in St Andrew and Esher in St Mary.  This extreme water rationing is deliberate and has been happening for decades. These are among the poorer communities of Jamaica. Some of these homes do not have plumbing. This is no reason for people to not have access to water. It is a basic necessity and human right. Not everyone is able to afford to buy water tanks or trucked water. The people should not have to be able to afford it to have access to it.  Water will be turned on just for a couple of hours at the standpipe in Hopeflats sometimes late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. I witnessed first hand someone begging for water to cook something to eat. It was heartbreaking to see. The persons put in charge of turning the water on are not reliable. If they do not like the people the water is not turned on. This should not be. Politics aside, social standing aside, WE ALL NEED WATER! Jamaica does not lack water. There's enough for the entire Island.  Jamaica sells itself as the land of wood and water and rightly so. There are numerous sources of water. Rivers, natural springs etc. We need proper infrastructure in these communities. They have been ignored for far too long. It is difficult to keep up with basic hand washing everyday, which is necessary for residents to protect themselves and their loved ones from all sorts of viruses and bacteria. Jamaica is extremely hot and this water rationing does not help residents in these temperatures who are not living close to rivers or springs.  If the country cannot afford to upgrade and add more  infrastructure to help its people then other methods can be explored. One such method is   water catchment systems in the affected areas. More often than not, there is record rainfall. These small communities can be helped by finding ways to catch and store rain water. We need to figure this water situation out for the benefit of all Jamaicans. This should be the top priority since "water is life." If Jamaica cannot figure it out in its own it needs to seek assistance from those who have a track record in solving this issue in other countries. Thanks in advance to any person or group who decide to do something to help these residents.