NWC Replacing Pipelines in Spanish Town

The National Water Commission (NWC) is replacing pipelines in sections of Spanish Town including King Street and Adelaide Street.
The improvement work is part of the Kingston Metropolitan Area Water Supply Rehabilitation Project.
Speaking with JIS News, Corporate Communications Manager, Charles Buchanan, explained that the pipeline replacement will result in the interruption of the regular water supply to customers in those areas.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the NWC and the contractors working on the project, there are some unavoidable interruptions and inconveniences, which will be felt for some period during the implementation of the project,” he said.
As such, the Communications Manager is asking all customers in the affected areas to be understanding of the difficulty, which will be experienced and to store water during the periods of interruption.
“They should use the water that they have stored sparingly and cooperate with persons undertaking the work, especially in instances where traffic may have to be diverted or controlled,” he advised. Mr. Buchanan explained that the objective of the water supply rehabilitation project, which is funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), is to provide improved service to all the customers within the project area, which covers sections of Greater Spanish Town, South East St. Catherine and the southern sections of Kingston.
“This is by far the largest and most complex water supply rehabilitation project to be undertaken in Jamaica and in the region,” Mr. Buchanan said, adding that “it will be carried out over an extended period and currently, we are at the stage where the physical construction work has started.”
The project consists of four major implementation components – the rehabilitation of existing water supply facilities; the development of new water supplies; the protection of groundwater resources; and the engineering and institutional strengthening consulting services. The construction phase of the project started in February of this year, and work will continue at different stages through to July 2009.
“While the project will continue through to 2009, the impact on any one community will not continue for the entire period,” Mr. Buchanan pointed out, adding that some communities have already begun to benefit from the work being done.
In the meanwhile, the Communications Manager is advising customers to be mindful of the notices that will be placed in the media particularly in the newspapers and on the radio, advising of the specific areas that are to be impacted at a particular time. “We try to communicate to customers through advertisements in the media and also make arrangements for flyers to be distributed; we make direct contact to some citizens’ associations and community representatives so that the customers can be prepared,” he stated.