The National Water Commission (NWC) says it has reduced water loss in Portmore from  70 to 40 per cent while simultaneously increasing supply of the commodity to more residents in the St Catherine community.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda made the disclosure during a recent tour of Newlands where infrastructure work is in progress under the Portmore non-revenue water reduction programme.

Samuda said more than 200,000 gallons of water are lost daily in sections of Newlands.

He noted that the volume of water loss is unsustainable, pointing out that “we simply cannot pump water in the ground; we have to make every drop count”.

Samuda said some early signs of success are emerging in Newlands where pipelines are being installed, and “we are seeing a lot of regularising of connections”.

Meanwhile, NWC Regional Manager Gawaine Johnson said many residents in the Newlands area have already signed up to regularise their water supply.

And councillor for the Southboro Division Damara Lawson said people in the area are grateful for the work being done, which will go a far way in eliminating their water challenges.

The non-revenue water reduction programme involves leak detection and repairs, and reduction of commercial losses through metering and infrastructure improvement.

The initiative, being executed in partnership with global water utility company Miya Jamaica, under a performance-based contract, aims to improve the overall efficiency of NWC’s operations.