Impact of Hurricane Melissa on NWC Operations Expected to Exceed $10 Billion

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the cost of the impact on the operations of the National Water Commission (NWC) by Hurricane Melissa is expected to exceed $10 billion.

The Minister was speaking on Thursday (November 13), at a Special Press Briefing held at Jamaica House in Kingston, on the country’s recovery efforts.

Mr. Samuda explained that Cabinet has been informed of all the issues affecting NWC, as well as a restoration and relief plan to rebuild the Commission, making it more resilient in some areas.
He said that the first phase of the restoration plan will cost $3.25 billion.

“That plan includes clearing access to sites; temporary repairs to raw water transmission and distribution pipelines; installation of standpipes in communities without electric power, where the water treatment plants in the area have power; trucking of water both through the Water Commission’s own trucks and through Members of Parliament and, indeed, the municipalities; office building repairs; and purchase and rental of standby generators,” Minister Samuda outlined.

He noted that over the next four to six months, items that cannot be procured in an emergency way will be included in a $6.95-billion restoration plan that will focus on the resilience of the NWC and its systems.

Additionally, Minister Samuda informed that four large generators that were not performing at the expected levels at some plants will be replaced over the four-to-six-month period to bolster NWC’s infrastructure.