Gov’t Investments To Deliver Water Resilience For Kingston And St. Andrew

Minister of Water, Environment, and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, on Thursday (February 26), announced that Kingston and St. Andrew are expected to achieve water resilience and drought resistance within 18 months.

He explained that this will be realised through a series of Government-led investments currently underway.

These include the construction of a plant in Content, St. Catherine, which is expected to supply water to Kingston and St. Andrew, and Portmore and Spanish Town in St. Catherine.

The urgency of the project was underscored during the severe drought of February 2022, when rainfall in Kingston and St. Mary fell to just 18 per cent and eight per cent of their 30-year averages, respectively.

Consequently, Kingston, St. Andrew, Portmore, and Spanish Town received 12 million gallons less water than was required to meet demand.

“The plant that we’re building in Content, St. Catherine, will supply to these areas, 15 million gallons a day, starting May 2027. So, from a supply perspective, we have solved the supply issue, relative to what our current need is [in this section of the Corporate Area],” Minister Samuda reasoned.

He was addressing the REALTORS® Association of Jamaica’s Leaders in Real Estate Breakfast, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The Minister noted that, despite ongoing improvements in the water sector, Kingston, St. Andrew, and Portmore continue to lose up to 40 percent of their supply as non-revenue water (NRW).

This figure reflects the difference between the volume of water produced at treatment plants and the amount that is actually billed to consumers.

Mr. Samuda noted, however, that through various interventions, water losses have been reduced from 72 percent in 2016.

“So with all of the high rises that you [now] see in Kingston and St Andrew, [the area] uses approximately 10 million gallons less water today than it did in 2015. So we are on our path to water resilience in this part of the island,” he said.

Mr. Samuda further advised that the Government is targeting a reduction in water losses to 20 percent and is collaborating with the World Bank to secure an NRW partner for a national programme. He added that a contractor is expected to be appointed later this year.

Meanwhile, as part of advancing efforts toward water resilience, the Minister announced that the initial phase of engineering for the new Hermitage Dam in St. Andrew has been completed.

The project is expected to finalise its transaction design and complete the Public Investment Appraisal Branch (PIAB) process by early next year.

Minister Samuda further disclosed that plans are underway to expand the capacity of the Mona Reservoir in St. Andrew.