Gov’t to Embark on National Non-Revenue Water Programme

The Government will shortly unveil a national non-revenue water programme, which is expected to significantly impact consumers, particularly in rural communities.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the engagement will entail a major overhaul of the distribution network.

“This [includes] changing the piping network, managing the pressure [by] ensuring that pumps are properly calibrated, and ensuring that you get the water in your pipes and you don’t see it leaking and running down the road,” Senator Samuda said.

He was speaking during the recent ccommissioning of the upgraded Sligoville water system in St. Catherine.

Meanwhile, the National Water Commission (NWC) is slated to commence upgrading its pump systems islandwide in the upcoming financial year.

Senator Samuda indicated that “we will start the process of changing out about $900 million to $1 billion worth of pumps annually to remove the oldest most unreliable, electricity-intensive pumps from the system, to ensure that our [power] usage also goes down”.

“So, as we move to renewables, to cut the cost and to ensure that we are using clean energy, we are also removing the [outdated systems],” he added.

Noting that the distribution network is aged and prone to leaks, resulting in high non-revenue water loss, Minister Samuda said the Government has partnered with global water utility company Miya, on its project to reduce wastage.

Miya’s non-revenue water project, being implemented in Kingston, St. Andrew, and St. Catherine, aims to improve the overall efficiency of the NWC operations.

Mr. Samuda indicated that the project has realised significant savings of this valuable resource.

“The non-revenue water that is either stolen or leaks out from bad pipes… has [been] cut… by 50,000 cubic metres daily,” he said.

Noting that in 2016, non-revenue water was at approximately 70 per cent, Minister Samuda said that in Kingston and St. Andrew, this has been reduced to approximately 30 per cent.

It is anticipated that non-revenue water wastage will be reduced to approximately 30 per cent in St. Catherine over the next 12 to 18 months.