NEGRIL, Hanover — The National Water Commission (NWC) said its teams have ramped up leak detection and repair activities across the Logwood pipeline network, following concerns about a leaking pipe that has been spouting water near the welcome to Negril sign.

In response to queries from the Jamaica Observer, the NWC said that during a recent leak-tracking activity, its team uncovered and repaired four major pipeline breaks which had been impacting supply distribution. The repairs have helped maintain good water pressure within the network — especially along the Negril pipeline.

Acting Regional Manager David Pryce said work is ongoing to detect leaks and will hopefully yield more success in minimising water losses.

“Among the locations that the NWC has identified was the Salt Creek Bridge near the entrance to Negril, where an aged section of the transmission main was found leaking. The NWC team noted that this location requires a planned operation, given the technical complexity involved in accessing and repairing the pipeline that is strapped to the support beams of the bridge,” the commission said last weekend in response to questions from the
Observer.

“Earlier this week a joint site visit was carried out with representatives of the National Works Agency (NWA), who provided guidance on the suitable approaches for undertaking the repairs. Based on the feedback, the NWC estimates that full repair will be completed within a matter of two weeks,” the commission added.

The issue of the leaking pipe near the sign welcoming commuters to Negril was also brought to the attention of the Hanover Municipal Corporation by Councillor Marvell Sewell (People’s National Party, Green Island Division). He said he was told that the leak has been there for years.

“Millions of gallons of water going into the river and I got in touch with someone from the NWC and they are saying that it is a big project; it is bigger than them. It has to come from Kingston and Kingston is aware of that leak years ago. It is not like yesterday that pipe leaking,” argued Sewell.

He appeared to suggest that the NWC does not have the manpower on the ground to properly maintain its network at the local level. Sewell said in the 90s and 80s when he was a child growing up in the Logwood area, where the treatment plant is located, the NWC used to have a maintenance crew based there.

“You would not have a leak on the road for more than a day. Those people would go around and fix [it]. We need back a crew like that in Logwood, because everything is being centralised,” urged the councillor.

“In a time like this when we have a drought, it really hurts to see millions of gallons wasted when the citizens cannot get that water in their household,” added Sewell.

For his part, Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels said it is important for both hotels and citizens to have water, and issues like this are causing several areas in Hanover to be out of piped water.

President of the Negril Chamber of Commerce Elaine Allen Bradley told the Observer that the pipe has been leaking for more than a year and had been brought to the attention of the NWC.

“One of the things that they had said was that it cannot be fixed because it is an asbestos pipe and it has to be replaced. If they know that it has to be replaced and it is major work, why not go ahead and replace it or cap it off? Why leave it running with the millions of [gallons] of water going in the river while people do not have water in their pipes?” she questioned.

“NWC is ineffective and inefficient and I don’t think that it is wise to go on the way we are unless they change some engineers or managers. How can you have a pipe leaking gallons of water when there is a drought on?” the chamber president added.

Last Friday, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Senator Matthew Samuda told Nationwide News Network that up to 70 per cent of the treated water in Hanover is lost to leakage. He said a total overhaul is needed to bring about resilience.