Reliable Potable Water for Ginger Ridge Primary School

Students at the Ginger Ridge Primary and Infant School in St. Catherine are now getting reliable potable water, following work done by the Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL).

The school has been adopted by the RWSL, and recently it installed several rails across the compound to prevent the students from falling over bumpy areas at the institution, and established a rainwater harvesting system at the school.

Managing Director of the water agency, Audley Thompson, said during the recent building of a multimillion-dollar water project for the community, which is now being operated by the National Water Commission (NWC), the school provided land for a storage tank, and they decided to reward them with the adoption.

“We did a total revamp, providing proper guttering, and ensured that their concrete tank is in a wholesome condition,” he said, in an interview with JIS News.

He added that with the NWC supply and the rainwater harvesting system, “their water bill will not be that expensive.”

For her part, Principal of the school, Kimetha Francis, said another part of the work carried out by the RWSL was repairing the roof.

The Principal said she is pleased that classes will no longer be disrupted due to water scarcity.

“We are totally grateful, and I am a very happy Principal. We are never going to be out of water, now that the system is in place,” she said, noting that the 70 students and six teachers are overjoyed.

The RWSL is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with a mission to design, plan and implement potable water infrastructure.

Under Vision 2030 Jamaica, “water is considered a fundamental strategic resource that is not only necessary for improved quality of life for the population but also one which could provide the country with a competitive advantage. The Plan recognises the importance of sanitation and hygiene to support human health, protect ecosystems and reduce poverty”.

Vision 2030 Jamaica is the country’s first long-term National Development Plan, which aims at enabling Jamaica to achieve developed country status by 2030.

It is based on a comprehensive vision: “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”.