NWC Makes Steady Progress in Water Restoration Effort

The National Water Commission (NWC) continues to make steady progress in its water-restoration effort, following recent disruptions caused by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking at a briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), located at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston, on December 15, Content Creation and Development Manager at the NWC, Andrew Canon, said that 85.6 per cent of NWC customers have had their service restored.

He noted that the percentage represents 472,263 of the Commission’s customers across the island.

“We have some way to go with respect to reaching certain customers, and those customers that we now need to reach, they stand at 79,713,” said Mr. Canon.

He pointed out that St. Elizabeth remains one of the most challenging parishes for full restoration, largely due to accessibility issues affecting several water systems.

“I want you to get a true picture as to what is causing the inaccessibility… it is impassable roads. I know that there are plans to collaborate with other agencies to see how those roads can be cleared for us to get to those systems,” Mr. Canon informed.

He explained that despite challenges with restoration, the NWC continues to improve the trucking of water to affected areas.

“We know that since we can’t have water flow through the pipes, we really have to ramp up the trucking, and we have been doing that, especially in the worst affected areas,” said Mr. Canon.

He informed that over the weekend, the NWC delivered water to the Daniel Town School, Bounty Hall and Sherwood Content in Trelawny, underscoring its commitment to both residential and educational facilities.

Additionally, 23,400 gallons of water were trucked to St. Elizabeth and 25,000 gallons to Trelawny.

Mr. Canon further stated that 145,000 gallons of water were delivered through trucking operations to the northeast region, specifically in the parishes of St. Mary, Portland and St. Ann.

In addition to trucking operations, the NWC has begun the distribution of five-gallon water kegs to residents in the most impacted communities, with St. Elizabeth receiving the largest share of donations, to date.

“On the 12th of December, we delivered some of those kegs in Lacovia. We also delivered some in Middle Quarters. We are hoping to ramp up the delivery of those kegs of water within the days ahead, especially with Christmas fast approaching,” said Mr. Canon.