BONE DRY CONDITIONS in St Philip are hurting many farmers in the southern parish and a simmering dispute over water from a natural spring is compounding the situation.
Farmers from Golden Grove and River Land are up in arms and pleading for help as each month they are forced to take thousands of dollars in losses. Furthermore, access to a disputed stream remains a source of contention and anger.
Back in the February 12 WEEKEND NATION, some farmers had accused landowner John Marshall of diverting water to fill his pond so his family could kayak and sail model boats.
At that time the businessman said different farmers were fighting for control of the natural source of water. He said then: “The water divides into three different ways on my property, three different sections and it is almost impossible to satisfy all the farmers. The farmers were coming up here and changing it day by day. This set of farmers would quarrel, go and change all the water and another set of farmers would come and quarrel and take up the water.”
