Improved Water Supply for Residents of New Road in St. Mary

Residents of the community of New Road and surrounding districts in St. Mary are benefiting from a much improved water supply system as a result of the help of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).
Prior to the improvement, residents of the area had to endure the inconvenience of being served by an inadequate and unreliable supply system.
The upgrading was carried out at a cost of approximately $14 million, with the JSIF providing $10.5 million, and the community contributing $3.5 million through the New Road Neighbourhood Watch/Citizens Association.
Approximately 600 residents are benefiting from the project, which was supervised by the National Water Commission (NWC). The contract was undertaken by Bacchus Engineering Works Limited.
The official handing over of the upgraded system took place at the Baptist Church in Bonnygate on July 18.In his address, Kirk Brown, Board Director of the JSIF, said his organization was pleased to be associated with the project, stressing that communities were critical to the national development process.
He pointed out that since its inception in 1996, the JSIF has completed 688 of the 976 water supply projects it has approved over that period, adding that of this amount, 66 have been approved for St. Mary and 45 have been completed.
Mr. Brown said that the JSIF was committed to the empowerment of the Jamaican people through their socio-economic development, and that the organization was always willing to assist any community that was willing to organize and participate in its development. He noted that other communities in St. Mary, which his organization has engaged over the years to develop successful projects, included Hampstead, Robins Bay, Fellowship Hall, Belfield, Castleton and Carron Hall.
Mr. Brown pointed out that these projects were of national and worldwide importance, as they had taken Jamaica one step further in its commitment to the Millennium Development Goal of significantly reducing the number of persons worldwide without access to potable water by the year 2020.