ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – Approximately 40,000 National Water Commission (NWC) customers in Jericho, Ewarton, Mount Rosser, and other communities in North West St Catherine should see significant improvements in their water supply by December 2023.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda made the comment on Thursday during a tour of major pipe-laying and other infrastructure works being carried out in the area by the NWC and the ministry.

According to Samuda, the project represents J$125 million of investments in improving the water infrastructure in Jericho which includes the installation of pipelines from the Jericho well facility to the main road and the interconnection of the pipelines into the existing network.

“That investment includes new 16-inch distribution mains. There are also 6-inch distribution mains that are being put in at the community level. We’ve also put in pressure reduction valves that help us to reduce breakage in the lines and we’ve also done significant work on the pump houses to ensure that the pumps are at a capacity that serve the number of citizens in this area”, the minister noted.

Minister Samuda added that the work on the pumps and the well to supply water through the pipeline would result in savings for the NWC.

“That pump is a major investment because it’s ultimately going to trigger savings for the NWC in excess of 70 million Jamaican dollars annually. We used to pull water in this area from a private source. We no longer have to do that, as we are able to find our own well and put in place the investments. It is a 300-metre-deep well. It will pull some two and a half million gallons a day for the citizens here. So not only are we providing a more reliable water supply to our citizens, we’re also saving the Water Commission money. So that allows us to pay back for this project within two years”, the minister stated.

Minister Samuda further noted that persons in the community are already receiving water, as some upgrading had already been carried out on the pumps and some of the lines. However, he urged persons who are not connected legally to the NWC’s pipelines to do so.

“We are doing our part. We’re going to need the citizens to do their part, so those who are not connected to the network, we are going to be working with them to get them on to the network legally”, he noted.

Noting that road reinstatement is included in the project, Samuda urged the travelling public to be patient as the pipe-laying works progress.

“Eight hundred metres of pipe is being laid. We know that it is particularly hard on the taxis in the space, so we ask them to pardon our progress. We are working as quickly as we can, to ensure that the road is restored,” he said.