I awoke this morning to find that my house was without water. Again. It has happened, on average, once a week during my time in Jamaica; power cuts are rather more frequent (most memorably during a world cup match, much to the anger of all Parish Council workers). It is one of the reminders – sheltered as I am in an air conditioned office or a comfortable middle class home – that Jamaica is still a developing country, and a dodgy water/power supply are just two of the hazards you have to learn to live with. As Arlene (my host mum) pointed out ironically, Jamaica may be land of wood and water, but here in Black River we have yet to get a reliable supply of a basic human right. The situation is worse in rural areas, where communities rely on wells that are slowly being degraded, dried out, or silted up. It seems unlikely that Jamaica can make the list of More Developed Countries whilst its residents still rely on bottled supplies of such a precious resource.