KINGSTON, Jamaica – A total of 30 new pickup trucks have been added to the National Water Commission (NWC) fleet to boost service delivery to its customer base across more than 450,000 accounts.

The units, purchased at a cost of $200 million, were handed over by the Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, on Wednesday at the NWC’s Marescaux Road office in Kingston.

Samuda said the vehicles are aimed at ensuring that the NWC’s Maintenance Department and its activities in the field are supported by the necessary transport capacity.

“Ultimately, we are about serving you. It’s a very important service that the NWC provides. We have committed to ensuring that the NWC has the equipment it needs, has the skillsets it needs, but we know that with skillsets we require the appropriate tools,” the minister said.

Noting that the NWC has ageing vehicles, which are being phased out, Samuda indicated that the acquisition of the 30 new pickups “is a step in modernising that fleet and ensuring that the mileage for our fleet represents the challenge that we have and the fact that we are spread right across the length and breadth of the country”.

Last September, eight new water trucks valued at more than $100 million were added to the more than 400 vehicles owned and operated by the utility company.

Minister Samuda gave the assurance that another eight water trucks are in procurement while noting that “we are invested in serving you at the level that you deserved to be served”.

Acting NWC Vice President of Operations, Herman Fagan welcomed the latest bolstering of the company’s fleet, which he said will benefit NWC customers significantly.

“NWC’s strategic objective is increasing operational efficiency, and us acquiring these vehicles will certainly go a very far away in terms of how we respond to things that need to be done, whether it is from a production, distribution or connection perspective,” he said.

The new pickup trucks are four-wheel drive for off-road terrain and their diesel engines remain durable for approximately 310,000 miles.

This is especially crucial for the various teams from the company who, on a daily basis, are dispatched to operate and monitor more than 1,000 water supply facilities islandwide and 350 storage tank facilities, many of which are situated in very remote locations.

Additionally, there are more than 450 sources and approximately 12,000km of pipeline networks installed across the island.

Other functions of the NWC include meter-reading activities and collection and distribution of material for daily operations.

– JIS