Major Water Upgrade Project for St. Thomas

Residents of St. Thomas Eastern are set to benefit from improved water supply under a project to upgrade the Airy Castle/Port Morant water system.

Member of Parliament for St. Thomas Eastern, Dr. Michelle Charles, said the upgrade forms part of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) rural water supply programme.

She was making her maiden contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (October 20).

Dr. Charles noted that detailed designs are scheduled to be completed by January 2022. She informed that implementation will commence 12 months after funding is finalised by the Government of Jamaica in the amount of $500 million.

“The replacement of pipelines in conjunction with the South Coast Highway Improvement Programme is expected to cost approximately $700 million,” she said.

Bemoaning the water supply challenges in the constituency, she said the National Water Commission is embarking on a programme to bring improved access and distribution of water.

She noted that while water has been trucked to several areas, “this is an unsustainable method of water supply”.

Some of the areas that have been supplied with trucked water include Spring Garden, Dalvey, Cheswick, Leith Hall, Top Hill, Lyssons, Rowlandsfield, Old Pera and Wilmington.

“The phrase ‘water is the source of life’ is often overused; however, it has great significance. In my constituency, there are many drums and tanks, which sit empty and piped water is an envied commodity,” she said.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) rural water supply programme aims to upgrade systems serving rural communities in the parishes of St. Thomas, St. Mary, Clarendon, St. Ann, St. Elizabeth, and Trelawny.