ST JAMES, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr, says the Government is looking to identify permanent solutions to the water challenges facing some communities.

“What we need to be doing as a country is moving to a place where we have control of our water sources and we are able to distribute our water in Jamaica in such a way that the people have water in their pipes.

“It might cost a little bit more than the trucking, but if we were to fix, for instance, a valve or a pumping station, something that you know has been going wrong for the last 50 or 100 years [then] 200 people in a community can get access to water as opposed to us having to truck,” he pointed out. 

Charles Jr was speaking with stakeholders at the Manchester Municipal Corporation on Thursday (June 27), to identify sustainable solutions to address water challenges in drought-affected communities. He travelled to St Elizabeth later in the day.

Charles Jr, who was accompanied by a team from the ministry, as well as representatives from the Water Resources Authority (WRA), National Water Commission ((NWC) and Rural Water Supply Limited, sat down with Members of Parliament and Councillors and other representatives from both parishes to determine the most comprehensive course of action.

He said that Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, has mandated that this matter be urgently handled in order to meet the needs of the residents of the affected communities.

He noted that while short-term solutions, such as the trucking of water, will be undertaken where necessary, the overall objective is to devise permanent fixes.

“There was a $125-million allocation made by the Prime Minister, which is to be utilised not just for trucking but to effect a mechanism to assist the most drought-affected areas.

“We are here to hear from you some of the specific issues that you are having, because our goal is to ensure that we are not only trucking as a short-term but that we are also able to put in place the minor repairs that can make the use of the money more sustainable,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the State Minister invited stakeholders to submit, in writing, a comprehensive water sustainability plan for their area or constituency to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, so that it can be incorporated in the national planning process.

“We have come to a place now were we need to fix the problem.  My approach is to ensure that we are in dialogue with everyone, all parties. The goal must be to ensure that we are not just talking about plans but we are implementing plans. There will be money that is required, but I can assure you, no additional money will be invested in anything unless you can show that the little money that you have is being wisely spent,” he said.

Charles Jr has already engaged with stakeholders in St Mary, Portland, Clarendon and St Catherine.