$593 Million Allocated for Two Sanitation Projects

The Government will be spending another $593.5 million in the upcoming fiscal year to complete two sanitation projects being undertaken by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

The money has been allocated in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

Of the sum, $573.5 million will go towards the Basic Needs Trust Fund project; and $20 million has been allotted for the School Sanitation project.

The Basic Needs Trust Fund project, which is funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Caribbean Development Bank, aims to support improved access to quality education; water and sanitation; basic community access and drainage; livelihood enhancement and human resource development services in low-income and vulnerable communities.

Up to December 2018 under the project, the formulation for 14 infrastructure projects was completed and a design and supervision contract was awarded for 14 infrastructure projects.

It is anticipated that for the 2019/20 period, work will commence on at least 14 sub-projects, and 50 per cent completion will be achieved.

For the School Sanitation Project, which concludes in March 2019, an end-of-project evaluation and assessment is to be completed; and surveyors’ fees are to be paid.

The project, which is being funded by the Petro-Caribe Fund, seeks to replace pit latrines with flush toilets, in order to reduce the contamination of underground water and reduce the spread of diseases caused by faecal matter.

Up to December 2018 under the project, sanitation blocks were completed for 82 schools.