Residents of St. James Southern to Benefit from Improved Water Supply

Thousands of residents in communities across St. James Southern are set to benefit from the Government’s enhanced water infrastructure project, which will improve supply in the area.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, made the disclosure during a recent tour of water systems in the communities of Cambridge, Tangle River, Maroon Town and Endeavour.

“Over the next three calendar years, we should be able to do the $800-million investment, which would significantly change lives for about 15,000 persons in this [constituency],” Mr. Samuda said.

The Minister told JIS News that a new 100,000-gallon tank was recently installed in the Tangle River community, which signaled the start of the investment; however, there is “a lot more to do”.

“We expect to work very closely with the Member of Parliament and the councillors to ensure that on a phased basis, every quarter we are able to report improvement for two to three thousand families,” he said.

During the tour, the Minister noted that the area was assessed and the additional supply needs pinpointed.

“We know that this area has been bedeviled by water challenges for the better part of 30-plus years. It is not different from much of rural Jamaica with creaking and inadequate infrastructure and feeling the impacts of climate change,” he said.

“We have work to do, there is no doubt about that, and I know the constituents and the wider community have been patient. We have assessed several needs and several investment programmes that we will have to put into cue and get started,” the Minister outlined.

He added that work on some systems will be started immediately by using the internal capacity of the National Water Commission (NWC) to commence pipe-laying and replace aged infrastructure, which has resulted in water leakage.

Mr. Samuda noted, however, that other improvement initiatives, due to their size, will require procurement.

For his part, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for St. James Southern, Hon. Homer Davis, thanked Minister Samuda for his visit, and noted that the project has been long overdue.

“This is a major investment in the people of St. James Southern, and Minister, you couldn’t be here at a better time; it is a good day for us,” he said.

For his part, Acting President of the NWC, Kevin Kerr, noted that the newly installed tank in Tangle River and upcoming water improvement initiatives in the constituency indicate that the agency has been listening to citizens’ concerns.

“We have been listening and have carried out activities that we have promised on our mission to ensure that by 2030 we [all] have access to potable water,” he said.

Mr. Kerr also encouraged NWC customers to pay their water bills, so that the agency can continue its water supply and infrastructural improvement thrust across the island.