Wells Cleaned, Rehabilitated and Replaced Under Japan-Funded Project

Some 19 wells have been rehabilitated, cleaned or replaced under the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) Water Supply Project, which is being funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
The wells are located at Little Greendale, Content, Cross Pen, Friendship, Twickenham Park, Government Park, Brown’s Well and Cookson.
Work under the water project has also resulted in the repair of tanks in areas such as Angels, Patton Park, Green Acres and Windsor Heights; significant reduction of non-revenue water in the Hellshire area, which is the pilot project area, and the replacement of aged pipelines in areas such as Willodene and Hopedale in Spanish Town.
This was disclosed during a recent meeting between Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang and Japanese Ambassador His Excellency Masahiro Obata. The two met to examine the progress of projects being undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC) with financing support from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the JBIC.
The KMA Water Supply project is one of the largest and most significant to be undertaken and should ensure improvements in the supply of the potable water to communities of Greater Spanish Town and Southeast St. Catherine, as well as parts of Kingston. This project period is for 20 years and will cost US$85 million with approximately US$65 million being provided by JBIC.
The first contract under this project is currently underway and the key aims are to reduce and control the unacceptable levels of non-revenue water as well as to remove restrictions in the distribution network.
The project will also enhance the sustainability of groundwater resources through the cleaning, resuscitation and/or drilling of the cased boreholes of 19 groundwater wells; increase the quality assurance of water delivered to customers by repairing reservoirs and replacing aged pipelines; construct tanks as well as develop other new sources.
These necessary works, including the upgrading of the Spanish Town Treatment Plant along with a number of others, will meet the water supply demand of the designed areas at the end of the 20-year project target.
Other contracts are being negotiated to ensure that the goals of the KMA project are met within the target period and that an additional five million gallons of water per day is provided to serve the project area.
In terms of other projects, stage one of the Institutional Strengthening Project has commenced with the assessment and evaluation of the NWC’s operations in the areas of non revenue water, water quality control/assurance and the operation and maintenance of water treatment plants by the JICA experts over the period March to September of this year.
and is designed to develop a cost effective and efficient maintenance system within the NWC geared, towards enhancing the reliability of water supply and improved water quality to customers.
The Minister, at the meeting, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and the NWC to JICA, JBIC and the Government of Japan, for the assistance over the years.