Improved Water Supply in St. Elizabeth South Eastern

Member of Parliament, St. Elizabeth South Eastern, Hon. Franklin Witter, says significant work has been undertaken to improve domestic water supply coverage to 60 per cent of the constituency.

Mr. Witter, who is also Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, provided the update during his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives, on October 26.

He informed that the coverage for piped water has improved from a mere 20 per cent when he took office in 2016.

“The people of St. Elizabeth South Eastern can now boast a domestic water supply coverage of almost 60 per cent and… as we continue to expand this programme, we are looking to add another 20 per cent of the constituency with the supply of piped water in the coming year or two,” he said.

Mr. Witter lauded the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the provision of four water shops in the constituency, adding that approximately 60,000 gallons of domestic water is provided to various communities on a weekly basis.

The water shop concept involves the construction of facilities islandwide to dramatically improve the availability of potable water for residents in communities and regions of the island that are usually affected by drought.

Meanwhile, Mr. Witter said the long-awaited Essex Valley Irrigation Project is now in the implementation phase. The project is slated for completion in 2024.

It will see the buildout of 75 kilometres of pipeline, irrigating more than 800 hectares of arable land. The project is slated to benefit hundreds of farmers across the constituency of St. Elizabeth South Eastern and sections of Manchester South.

Describing the project as a game changer, Mr. Witter said it will also provide marketing support and a post-harvesting facility, which will address the prevailing problem of periodic glut and waste of valuable produce.

“In the meantime, we continue to give support to our farmers by providing various kinds of inputs. These include fertilisers, small drip irrigation systems, seeds, herbicides and pesticides. This exercise has benefited almost 2,000 farmers in the constituency,” he noted.

The Member of Parliament thanked all the agencies that have been integral to the undertaking.