Government has allocated an initial $150 million to facilitate the trucking of water and procurement and distribution of water tanks to areas that are experiencing water challenges due to persistent drought conditions.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement on Tuesday during a statement in the House of Representatives.

The prime minister said Jamaica was in the throes of a meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought with the western parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland particularly affected.

An initial amount of $1.5 million will be allocated to each of 50 constituencies with additional amounts going to the parishes of Hanover, Westmoreland, Clarendon and St Elizabeth. The various constituencies in these parishes will be allocated $2.5 million each. Additionally, the municipal corporations in Clarendon, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland will each receive $5 million for drought mitigation efforts while the Hanover Municipal Corporation will receive $7.5 million.

The prime minister noted that a meteorological drought happens when dry weather patterns dominate an area; hydrological droughts occur when low water supply becomes evident, especially in streams, reservoirs, and groundwater levels, usually after many months of meteorological drought; and agricultural droughts happen when crops become affected.

He said the funding being made available will allow the government, through the National Water Commission (NWC), members of parliament, and parish councils to respond to needs for critical infrastructure, and the worst affected communities, over the next four weeks.

“I wish to assure citizens of Westmoreland and Hanover, particularly Negril and environs, that we will continue beyond this allocation if as projected, dry conditions persist into the summer,” said Holness.

He also pointed to the impact of the drought on the citizens of Brown’s Town, in North West St Ann which he said has been compounded by system failure with the virtual collapse of the existing well system at Minard. He reminded that he instructed the NWC in March to allocate $30 million to facilitate emergency response in the areas of Hanover, Westmoreland and Brown’s Town, St Ann.

The prime minister said the parishes of St Elizabeth and Clarendon have also received additional support, as they are the next most affected. He stressed that these measures should not be contemplated as the sole response related to potable water provision and it should be noted that the Ministry of Local Government & Community Development continues its trucking interventions in communities outside of the utility footprint from an allocation of $100 million.