Contracts Signed for Irrigation Scheme in South Manchester

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, today (Dec. 8) signed two contracts amounting to just over $100 million for the construction of five production wells in South Manchester.
The works, which will be undertaken by Jamaica Wells and Services Limited, is scheduled for completion within four months and will involve the drilling and development of the wells. The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) is the executing agency.
Speaking at the signing at the Ministry, Dr. Tufton outlined that the first contract, valued $35.5 million, is to undertake the construction of two wells at Duff House and Rowes Corner, while the second, in the sum of just over $65 million, provides for the development of three wells in Plumwood Lane, and New Forest.
The wells, once constructed will serve the New Forest/Duff House Irrigation Scheme, which will provide irrigation water for some 420 farmers in that region, who produce escallion, thyme, watermelon, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage, pumpkin, sweet pepper, cassava, pak-choi, among other crops.
“This scheme of approximately 368 acres. is located in the Bull Savannah sub-basin, which is a part of the Black River watershed. The construction cost is estimated at US$2.9 million, while the annual operating and maintenance cost will be US$0.63 million,” he informed.
According to the Minister, the project area is semi-arid, and though rainfall is sometimes more than 60 inches, data indicates that this is sufficient to meet the water demand for crops.
“The Water Resources Authority has allocated 11,144 cubic metres per day for this scheme. The estimated yearly abstraction in an average year is 11,233 cubic metres per day, and 18,192 cubic metres per day in a peak year. The five wells. will have an average discharge rate of 75 litres per seconds. This translates to approximately 6,481.03 cubic metres per day,” the Minister outlined.
Dr. Tufton further informed that the wells will be inter-connected by a “complex” network of pipelines, which will facilitate water flowing from one pipe to another. He added that, should the need for this arise, each well can be isolated to serve any of the communities that will be served.
“The addition of the five wells will, therefore, provide sufficient water to boost agricultural production in this scheme. The farmers of the New Forest/Duff House Water Users Association will be organized in individual groups around each well,” he pointed out.
The development of the New Forest/Duff House system marks the commencement of the second phase of the National Irrigation Development Programme (NIDP), which is being jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development (IDB). This phase will entail the construction of irrigation systems at Colbeck and St. Dorothy in St. Catherine; Yallahs, St. Thomas; and Essex Valley, St. Elizabeth.
The initial phase of the project, which was completed mid-year, involved the construction of an irrigation system in Seven’s River located along the St. James and Hanover border; and the Pedro Plains and Hounslow systems in St. Elizabeth, the latter of which was commissioned into service by the Prime Minister. “They were all jointly funded by the Caribbean Development Bank,” the Minister informed.