Rural Water Projects Opening Up Opportunities for Communities

The Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) is opening up new opportunities for families, businesses and communities through its investments in potable water infrastructure across rural Jamaica, says Deputy Chairman of the agency, Peter Clarke.

He noted that while access to running water is taken for granted by many Jamaicans, the absence of a dependable supply can significantly affect how families manage their daily lives, how businesses operate and how communities develop.

“Reliable water makes stronger communities and a better quality of life,” he said, while addressing the recent commissioning of the $91-million Bunkers Hill Water Supply System in Clarendon.

Under the project, RWSL rehabilitated an existing 5,000-gallon steel wayside tank, constructed and installed a new 10,000-gallon elevated steel tank, and introduced solar-powered water supply systems.

He informed that approximately 9.3 kilometres of distribution pipelines have also been installed at a cost of approximately $91.5 million.

The system is expected to benefit about 1,000 residents in Bunkers Hill, Mears, Broadleaf and Nearing Castle.

Mr. Clarke said that the project, which was undertaken through collaboration with the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change and the National Water Commission (NWC) demonstrates what can be achieved when the Government, technical professionals and communities work together to address a common need “and there’s no more common a need than the supply of potable water”.

He said that the Bunkers Hill project forms part of RWSL’s wider programme of sustained investment in rural communities.

He pointed to ongoing work at Brandon Hill in the parish, where an existing water supply system is being upgraded through improvements to the intake and concrete sump, cleaning and waterproofing of tanks, and the installation of solar panels.

Nearly $170 million has been invested in the Brandon Hill project, which is designed to serve approximately 3,000 people in about 600 households.

Mr. Clarke also cited previous and ongoing projects in James Hill, Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and Mason River.

The RWSL Deputy Chairman said that the true value of the agency’s investments should not be measured only by the amount spent or the infrastructure constructed but by the impact on the people who will now have improved access to a reliable water supply.

He said the work being undertaken is about improving the lives of the people being served, with solutions designed to be practical, sustainable and suited to local environmental conditions.

The use of solar-powered pumping at Bunkers Hill, he said, demonstrates the agency’s commitment to renewable energy and resilience, while the system has the potential to be hybridised in the future to extend pumping hours and make water delivery even more sustainable.

He urged residents to take ownership of the infrastructure, noting that protecting the system would help to safeguard their own future access to water.