Improved Water Supply for Residents of Dalvey in St. Thomas

In its first commissioning ceremony for 2023, the National Water Commission (NWC) on Wednesday (February 8) brought improved water supply to more than 4,500 residents in Dalvey, St. Thomas, through the Fraser Hill Storage Tank Replacement Project.

The 50,000-gallon glass-fused-to-steel bolted tank was installed at a cost of $20 million and will serve the residents even if the Water Lane Re-Lift Pump, which feeds the Dalvey area, is out of commission.

The project forms part of the Tank and Pump Rehabilitation for Operational Efficiency Improvement Programme.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, in the keynote address at the commissioning ceremony, pointed out that the tank is “a major step” for the community.

He noted that there is still work to be done on the distribution network in the area and gave a commitment to continue the progress in the upcoming financial year, in a bid to help residents “realise the benefits of the tanks that have been put into Eastern St. Thomas”.

Recently, tanks were installed in the John’s Town, Prospect and Needham Pen areas of the constituency.

Mr. Samuda pointed out the significance of the number of projects that the NWC has been undertaking.

“Every single parish of Jamaica last year received capital works from the NWC to expand the utility footprint of the Commission. That has never happened in Jamaica’s history before,” the Minister noted.

He said that the Government “has prioritised investment in water”, while also noting that “water and sewerage is the foundation of all development”.

Furthermore, according to the Minister, the 45-megawatt floating solar system at the Mona reservoir in St. Andrew is to save the NWC over $1 billion annually and “[this] we will be putting back into infrastructure to expand our utility footprint, which will benefit citizens nationally”.

“Of course, St. Thomas will benefit as well,” he added.

For her part, Regional Manager for Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Thomas at the NWC, Dr. Phillipa Campbell-Francis, pointed out that the issues that have been affecting the region include aged pipelines, aged systems and facilities, and growing communities.

She said, therefore, that the replacement of tanks is to bolster the NWC’s system. “It allows for lower energy costs, better management of our distribution network, it gives us storage and in addition, it allows us to balance our systems to offer better service,” Dr. Campbell-Francis said.

She informed that since the installation of the Fraser Hill Storage Tank, there has been some improvement in sections of the communities that the facility serves. Additionally, she pointed out that the NWC is also targeting the carrying capacity of pipelines in St. Thomas.

“The roadwork that is currently taking place (the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project)… you’re getting brand new pipes, and that is to improve the carrying capacity. Once those lines are completed, all the side roads where the service is bad, provisions have been made in our budget to replace the pipelines on sections of our side roads,” she said.

Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Hubert Williams, in his remarks, noted the gratitude of the residents for the investment that has been made, proclaiming that, “it’s indeed a beautiful day for St. Thomas”.

“Water is life, and for any community or space to have real development, water is a critical component,” the Mayor said.

The NWC’s Tank and Pump Rehabilitation for Operational Efficiency Improvement Programme involved 33 tanks, costing approximately $600 million.

Through this programme, the entity will maximise the benefits of the system storage within the pumped distribution network and improve energy efficiency of pumping plants, with an aim to reduce energy usage, reduce non-revenue water (NRW) levels and improve service delivery levels and reliability to customers.