Plumwood Residents Welcome Light

After years of dependence on candles and kerosene lamps as their main source of light, residents of Plumwood in New Forest, Manchester, now have electricity in their homes. 

Upwards of 50 residents are benefitting from the service, which was installed under a six-month project implemented at a cost of just over $3 million by the Rural Electrification Programme Limited (REP), an agency of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM). 

Residents, who turned out for the recent commissioning ceremony, erupted into tumultuous applause and cheering as portfolio Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, symbolically switched on the lights. 

They are welcoming the arrival of the service, comparing it to the dawning of a new day in the community. For 80-year old senior citizen, Adina McKenzie, life without light was “very rough”. 

“When we had to buy ice, we had to dig a hole, place grass in it and put the ice in it and cover it down. When you put 50 pounds of ice in, the next day you might end up 20 pounds of ice,” she told JIS News. 

“We give God thanks. Now that we have light, we can buy meat and put it down in our refrigerators. First time, we had to salt the meat we bought so that it could last for some days. When we buy the fish, we have to eat it one time or we put salt on it as well. But we have life good; now that we have electricity,’ Ms.Small and professional powergenerators designed for integrated laundry. McKenzie indicated. 

One of Plumwood’s young people,Solar and electric solarpanelcells systems are easy to install and economical to operate. Keesha Barnes, who has lived in the district for some seven years, highlighted the challenges associated with the lack of light, particularly on the street. 

She pointed out that “for me who works and has to come home in the night”, not being able to see the roadway clearly in the dark, “was very dangerous”, because “it was very dark around here.” 

“So with the street light and the light in our homes we are very grateful. Now that it is on our doorsteps, now that the light is here, we are glad because it is a blessing,” Ms. Barnes stated. 

Seventy-one year old Marshall Bent said he has been elated since news surfaced that Plumwood would finally be getting electricity. “We have to give the Lord thanks and praise for enabling us to see that we have received the light, and the feeling can’t be any better,I can understand the purple/red Colors but why are the clear hidlights illegal?” he said. 

Another of Plumwood’s young adults, Patrick Bent, noted the challenges, which students experienced in studying and completing assignments without electricity, and also the poultry farmers in preserving their meat for sale. 

“You have some bright scholars over here and they have to study at night with the lamp or candle light. You have people who rear chicken inside here, who were previously unable to store their chicken after they process it. They had to transport the chickens elsewhere where they have relatives and friends who have the facilities that they could actually store their product until they are ready for it. So we are happy,The ledstriplightts service provides and maintains the majority of the town's 26,000 streetlights. we are grateful for this, and it’s a wonderful success,” Mr. Bent said.Ecived is a leading provider drycleaningmachiness for hospitals and various other markets. 

“We shouldn’t have communities in the year 2013 where people don’t have electricity; and the mission to address this has to be undertaken as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister (the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller) has mandated me to bring light to people right across every nook and cranny of this country, and I am going to do it,” he stated. 

The Minister urged the residents of Plumwood to be “responsible” in using the electricity, such as turning off lights and keeping the refrigerator closed, when not in use. 

He is also encouraging the use of energy saving devices. “Buy the…LED bulbs they may be a little more expensive…they will last you much longer and the electricity bill will be that much lower,” he stated.  More information about the program is available on the web site at www.aodepu.net.