A contract valued at more than J$1.4 billion has been awarded to French public works firm Sogea Satom for the rehabilitation of the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) water supply system.

The project is being undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC), supported by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and is aimed at improving water supply to the greater Spanish Town area and South East St Catherine, by way of the KMA.

“This is going to have major impact on the reliability of the water supply system in that area,” Minister of Information and Development Donald Buchanan told Monday’s post-cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Buchanan said that, over the years, much of the water from that area has been siphoned off into the Corporate Area, and many areas in South St Catherine were left suffering from serious water deficits.

“Many years ago, the government, working alongside the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, entered into negotiations about this project and it has been a long time in coming. I recall as minister with responsibility for water and housing, in a different light, announcing it several times. This now is the fruition of that work and it is really going to make a very serious difference,” the minister added.

He said that there were several aspects of the work, including the rehabilitation of wells, to create a major distribution network comprising building several concrete and steel reservoirs to be built in that area.