NWC To Undertake Phased Restoration Of Service Disrupted By Hurricane Beryl

KINGSTON, July 6 (JIS):

The National Water Commission (NWC) will be providing a schedule for phased service restoration to customers now without piped water in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

Some 335 NWC water systems islandwide were impacted during the hurricane’s passage on Wednesday (July 3) and are out of service

Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, said the NWC will provide an update in terms of the communities where service has been restored, and those pending.

He advised that these water systems are powered by the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) energy supply, adding that the NWC’s restoration schedule is contingent on the JPS’ timetable.

“The pumps require energy to distribute. So when we get that schedule, we will be able to overlay our information on that schedule,” Senator Samuda said.

He was speaking during a press conference at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) in New Kingston on Friday (July 5) to provide an update on the restoration of utilities in the hurricane’s aftermath.

Senator Samuda said NWC customers can expect the restoration of water supply once the systems’ power is reinstated.

“When [electricity] returns, if they are [served] by any of these 335 systems, they will get back water,” he assured.

Meanwhile, NWC Acting President, Kevin Kerr said the Commission is working closely with the JPS to have water restored in the shortest possible time.

“To date, we have restored 30 per cent of service to our customers and [for] the remaining 70 per cent, we will be working closely with the JPS to restore,” he said.

dispatched, beginning Thursday morning, have completed assessments of all affected water systems

Mr. Kerr informed that the parishes most heavily impacted by Hurricane Beryl are St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and sections of Westmoreland, which are mainly served by well sources.

“All the systems on the north coast [from] St. Ann to Hanover to the West end are interconnected. So currently, the Martha Brae treatment plant and Great River treatment plant are operating on generator, and at this time, we are only producing 25 per cent of our production capacity,” he informed.

“We have done all the maintenance checks to ensure that once power supply is available, we can restore service to… our valued customers,” Mr. Kerr added.

The Acting President said the systems currently in operation are the Mona water treatment plant and Constant Spring water treatment plant, which serve the Corporate Area.

Mr. Kerr further informed that the water treatment plant which serves Ocho Rios, St. Ann’s Bay and Port Maria is a gravity-feed system and is fully operational.