Water Supply in Mandeville to be improved

Minister of Water and Housing, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, has said that the water supply for the town of Mandeville, in Manchester, would be improved during the next 24 months.
Dr. Chang, who addressed a public forum at the Golf View Hotel, in Mandeville, on March 4, said that the town is poised to be a significant area of service delivery in education and health, and the Government would ensure that development and expansion of economic activity is not hampered by a lack of water.
He told the audience that water would be pumped from the planned expansion of the Pepper water scheme in the neighbouring parish of St. Elizabeth, “and we are looking at areas in Porus, and also how we might be able to utilise some of the systems used by the alumina bauxite companies.”
“We are committed though, to give you an adequate supply of water, which is available on your borders, and only need the capital for it to be in place,” Dr. Chang said.
He told the residents that he would return to the parish in a few months and inform them when the project would get underway. “It is very important that Mandeville be put in a position to access this vital commodity, and with the budget coming up, I will be in a position to make an announcement soon,” he said.
Dr. Chang argued that part of what is affecting communities with less than the amount of portable water needed, is the time it takes to improve the infrastructure across the island. He is calling for more private/public sector collaboration to bolster improvement in water supplies, as it is with housing.