Access to Potable Water by All Households Top Priority – Pickersgill

Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, has emphasised the Government’s commitment to ensuring that all Jamaican households have access to potable water as soon as possible, as it continues its efforts to develop the lives of the citizens of the country.
Addressing the official launch of the Mango Valley/Huddersfield Water supply system in St. Mary on March 2, Mr. Pickersgill said government was fully cognisant of the fact that the provision of water was critical to the future social and economic development of the country.
The supply system, which was completed in February of this year, was constructed at a cost of $59 million.A total of 12,000 persons will benefit from this project, which will serve the communities of Mango Valley, Huddersfield, Pondside, Fernandez Gardens and Backroad.
The Minister said the country had made significant progress in the management of its water resources, resulting in the movement of access to potable, from 61 per cent in 1990 to 71 per cent in 2001.
He pointed out the percentage of persons relying on water from springs and rivers had decreased from 5.1 per cent to 3.1 per cent over the same period, adding that despite the challenges involved, the objective of providing potable water to all Jamaicans has to be achieved, if the country was to fully realise its potential for development.
Mr. Pickersgill said that the government of India had made a US$9.9 million line of credit available to Jamaica to assist with the achievement of this objective, and was also in possession of $12 million worth of pipes to be used for rural water supply development.