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Improved Water Supply System for Kingston

April 2, 2004

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Efforts to provide an improved water supply system for the City of Kingston have been boosted with the allocation of $184 million for the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) Water Supply Project.
This is contained in the 2004/05 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.
The project, which is being implemented by the National Water Commission (NWC), through funding from the Overseas Economic Corporation Fund and the Government of Jamaica, is designed to provide water and sanitary services to keep apace with the rate of industrial and housing developments. Communities in Southeast St. Catherine, and St. Andrew are also to benefit. When completed, domestic capacity to the project areas should be increased by 60.75 litres (13.5 gallons) per day.
Anticipated physical targets for this fiscal year are the completion of engineering designs; commencement of civil works; strengthening operational efficiency within the NWC; supervision of civil works; management and administration of project operations; and acquiring land for new facilities.
Since the project started in March 1997, tenders have been invited to carry out investigations for well rehabilitation works; engineering designs have started; NWC diagnostic study and improvement plan completed and preliminary designs completed.
Meanwhile, a sum of $100 million has been provided for in the Estimates of Expenditure for the implementation of the National Irrigation Plan.
The project is funded by the Government and the Caribbean Development Bank, and is designed to implement irrigation development plans in three pilot areas, namely Pedro Plains and Hounslow in St. Elizabeth and Seven Rivers in St. James. The immediate objective of the project is to increase crop production and diversity, thereby increasing farm incomes and rural employment.
The allocation for this fiscal year will go towards completing civil works contracts and preparing draft legislation to govern the transfer of irrigation systems to relevant water user groups, and for these groups to assume responsibility for operating and maintaining irrigation systems.
The project, which should be completed in March of 2006, is expected to serve an irrigable area of 600 hectares and benefit 800 farmers.

Last Updated: April 2, 2004

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