Players in the water sector are pleased that the non-revenue water (NRW) reduction programme in Portmore, St Catherine, is already reaping results after a year of execution.

According to MIYA Jamaica Limited Country Manager Alvaro Ramalho, water savings reduced by 20 per cent, NRW by 33 per cent and electrical consumption by 31 per cent.

MIYA Jamaica has been contracted as a private partner to work jointly with National Water Commission (NWC) for the project. It is a local subsidiary of international firm MIYA, which is a world-leading, efficiency-oriented water operator with vast experience and a full-range offer for water utilities including water efficiency.

“So we came from 42,000 cubic metres per day and we are currently around 35,000, so it’s more than 6,000 cubic metres of water that we are saving per day. It’s a lot of water. On the NRW, we have to reduce as per contract from 25,000 to 10,000; we already reach 20,000 in one year, so it is also, as you can see, a very good drop,” he told the Jamaica Observer after the NRW staff recognition ceremony on Thursday, noting that $15,000 in energy savings per month has also been accomplished for NWC.

A total of 26 NRW workers were recognised for their efforts in different areas such as pressure management, metering, leak detection and leak repairs.

Meanwhile, president of NWC Mark Barnett, who expressed confidence in the NRW project, said, “We get results in Kingston, we have no reason to believe that we won’t get spectacular results here. The landscape in Portmore is far different from Kingston so we expect to see improvement and we expect to have better service,” he said.

Barnett also told the Observer that he is anticipating better water supply to Portmore with the right pressure and more hours of service each day, as NWC has set a target for the availability of water 24 hours daily.

The next part of the project is the implementation stage, which includes the search for non-visible leaks, rapid pump repairs, pressure management control, metering of unserved areas and replacing of defective metres.

Additionally, the improved service delivery will benefit residents in areas such as Naggo Head, Old Braeton, Newlands, Portmore Lane, and Reids Pen.

In 2020, the Government announced that it was expected to spend US$13 million over the next five years, on a major project aimed at reducing water loss and improving the supply of water to residents of Portmore.

Through the programme, the Government is aiming to reduce the level of NRW in Portmore from as high as 70 per cent to 30 per cent by the end of the project period.

Additionally, aged pipelines will be replaced to improve the water supply in the Portmore municipality. There are also plans to regularise people who are not account holders, as well as carry out bulk meter installation.