Waltham Park Road Pipeline Replacement Project to Benefit 20,000 Persons
By: , June 23, 2023
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with responsibility for Water, Environment and Climate Change, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda (second right), symbolically turns on water at a fire hydrant during a tour of the Waltham Park Road pipeline replacement project area in Kingston, on June 22. Looking on are (from left) Non-Revenue Water (NRW) and Water Supply Manager, National Water Commission (NWC), Chadron Stern; Vice President of Operations, NWC, Kevin Kerr and Councillor for the Whitfield Town Division, St. Andrew South Western, Eugene Kelly.
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with responsibility for Water, Environment and Climate Change, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda (centre) and Councillor for the Whitfield Town Division, St. Andrew South Western, Eugene Kelly (right), symbolically turn on water at a fire hydrant during a tour of the Waltham Park Road pipeline replacement project area in Kingston, on June 22. At left is Vice President of Operations, National Water Commission (NWC), Kevin Kerr.The Full Story
It is anticipated that the recently completed $450-million Waltham Park Road Pipeline Replacement Project will improve service delivery to 20,000 persons within the area.
The work, which was undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC), included replacement and upgrade of the pipeline along Waltham Park Road and replacement of aged customer service connections.
The project area commenced at the intersection of Hagley Park Road and Waltham Park Road and extended to Spanish Town Road.
Some of the anticipated benefits include an adequate quantity of running water in all proposed service areas, water distribution at improved pressure and flow, increased revenue, and regularisation of existing connections.
The project was undertaken between August 2022 and February 2023.
During a tour of the area on June 22, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, said the initiative is part of the larger infrastructure development work to be undertaken in the area.
“The water distribution system had passed its useful life. Much of it was collapsing and beyond that, it was no longer sufficient in terms of its size and its carrying capacity for the growth that we have seen in the community. We will have to do this sort of work in every community off Spanish Town Road because they all face the same issues,” he noted.
Minister Samuda said the project represents significant investments in the distribution network throughout Kingston and St. Andrew to improve water supply, reduce non-revenue water and leaks and to connect customers to the new system.
He said it is expected that these activities will improve water supply in Kingston and St. Andrew over the next 24 months.
For his part, Vice President of Operations, NWC, Kevin Kerr, urged residents to register to be transferred to the new pipelines.
“This project that we would have completed recently, we are encouraging the residents that would have benefited from this project who are not on board, please do so, so that the NWC can continue to implement these projects for other residents across the [island],” he said.