THE National Water Commission (NWC), as part of its Northern Western Parishes Service Improvement Project, has embarked on a meter installation programme in sections of the Western Division. Under the programme, 30,000 new meters will be installed at customers’ premises in Hanover, Westmoreland, St James and Trelawny.

To date, more than 2,400 new meters have been installed in Westmoreland and Hanover. The NWC team is expected to begin working in St James early next week.

NWC customers in these parishes will have their old water meters replaced, while customers who previously had no meters will receive new meters under the programme.

The new meters, approved by the Jamaica Bureau of Standards and meeting ISO standards, will more accurately register the customer consumption patterns and are able to register both normal and low flow pressures in the pipeline, the utility company said.

The meters will also allow customers to monitor their water usage with greater ease.

At the same time, NWC said the new meters would not affect its service charges or create any problems with the pressure flow in the service connection. Rather, the company said, the new meters would contribute to an overall improvement in service delivery.

Other components of the North Western Parishes Service Improvement Project include:

. Rehabilitation of the Martha Brae Water Treatment Plant to produce 6 million gallons of water per day;

. Construction of a new transmission pipeline from Martha Brae to Braco, referencing system;

. System rehabilitation including upgrading of tanks, pumps and infrastructure; and

. Leak detection and repairs.

On completion of the project, the NWC said it expects to see an increase in the levels of customer service, a reduction in losses due to leakage and theft, and an increase in revenue from water sales.