Fresh Pond Residents Demand End to Decade-Long Drought

While most Belizeans turn on a tap without a second thought, dozens of families in Fresh Pond, Burrell Boom, are still wondering when water will finally reach their homes. For nearly ten years, residents say they have been forced to depend on rainwater, buy water by the gallon, or borrow from neighbors just to meet their daily needs. Now, as new developments nearby enjoy reliable service, frustrated residents are asking why their community continues to be left behind. Today, News Five visited Fresh Pond to hear firsthand how life without running water has become an exhausting daily struggle, and why residents say their patience is running dry.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

“Water. It’s an essential part of everyday life. We use it to drink, to cook, to take showers, and wash our clothes. Now imagine doing all of that without knowing where your next gallon or even your next cup is coming from. For about thirty residents of the Fresh Pond Community in Belize District, that’s not just an imaginary scenario, that’s their everyday life because they don’t have access to a water system.”

 

Nayda Escobar, Fresh Pond Resident

“I’ve been living here for the past nine years. And since I came here, we haven’t been having access to no water. And there is only one neighbor that been giving us water here for these couple years, and thanks to him, we wanna say Mr. Doyle Gillette. He’s the one that been giving us the big hand here to everyone, but there are few families here that been coming to live and build here but they go because of the same situation. We don’t have any water. So we are asking if we can have a water system back here.”

 

While rural communities across Belize benefit from new water projects, Fresh Pond residents say they continue to fall through the cracks. Families there have spent years without running water, caught between agencies that have yet to bring a solution. With a potable water system estimated to cost more than six hundred thousand dollars.

 

Marconi Leal Jr., Area Representative, Belize Rural North 

“I’ve spoken to the CEO, I know some of the board members, but they’re prioritizing based on where the money will be best returned and, and they can continue to expand on an annual basis. So, I continue to lobby with them because of course I know the people of Fresh Pond want it, but, which is why I recently triggered the new assessment from BWS considering the additional households that have been added and people that are living in the area.”

 

Residents say they can’t afford to wait any longer. One community member described the daily struggle.

 

Voice of: Fresh Pond Resident

“ I believe it’s all of the community only. Probably certain neighbors have access to water. And yes, it is really difficult because only time when we have rain do we have enough water, and on that we need to buy water for them to put on the tanks for us. So yes, it’s actually becomes difficult during the summer when it’s really hot, because we don’t really have enough water and so on.”

 

Residents say that they have been in discussions with the village council, government representatives, and BWSL for years, and had even been promised that the system would be in place by December 2023. Since then, the matter has seen little progress.

 

Nayda Escobar

“From then we haven’t heard anything. We’ve been going back to back with them, and they say that they will try to find someone to bring water for us, but still nothing working out for us, so eventually everyone is tired of it.”

 

To access water, residents have been relying on the kindness of family and friends, who provide them with water during the dry season. Area Representative Marconi Leal Jr. helped bring water to the community last year with the donation of a pump and gallons of water.

 

Marconi Leal Jr.

“Over the past few years we’ve been assisting via the Ministry of Rural Development, supporting them with getting water system in the area when, during the dry season. And if Rural Development was not available, then we would have requested from BWS to support. So it’s a support that we’ve been doing. We know that it’s a temporary solution and so over those years and during that time we’ve reached out to SIF, who had ongoing project which does not happen on an annual basis.”

 

Now, residents are urgently appealing to the government and Belize Water Services Limited to deliver a permanent water system to their community.

 

Voice of: Fresh Pond Resident

“All of them are actually upset about it, because yes, we have been surviving for a while like that, but it’s not really the best option for us. So yes, they want to change that.”

 

The Ministry of Rural Transformation says it has been working with BWSL to bring water to the area, which falls under the utility’s jurisdiction. We reached out to BWSL for comment, but the company has yet to respond. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Sherly before the newscast, BWSL responded to News Five, stating quote, “While the main village area has potable water, extending service to the remaining developing areas is not a simple connection. It requires significant investment. This expansion has been considered and included as part of the company’s five-year plan. At this stage, the project remains subject to the necessary planning and requirements.” End quote.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: