More than 1,500 people in four St Ann communities will receive piped water on completion of a three-month pipe installation project for which ground was broken last Friday.

The $29-million Brown’s Town to Retreat pipeline installation project will channel water to Enfield, Lyndale, Retreat, and Brown’s Town, from the more than 40-year-old Minard Well in Brown’s Town which is being rehabilitated at a cost of $60.7 million.

The work to be done on the Minard Well includes drilling to approximately 800 feet, installation of perforated casing to facilitate water inflows, along with well development and step test activities. The well is expected to deliver two million gallons of water per day.

Addressing the ground-breaking function in Retreat, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Government has been making provisions to provide Jamaicans right across the island with reliable sources of water.

“It is the intention of the Government to extend the National Water Commission’s utility supply to as far as we can go and that will be happening almost every week,” Holness said, adding that he has given minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda the task of commissioning water systems or breaking ground for pipes to be laid.

“Today is a good day for the people of Retreat because a project of this nature changes the lived experience of every person in the area,” Samuda said in his address.

“I remember a meeting I had with the prime minister and he said go and turn on some pipes, and make sure that the utility footprint expands and people get reliable water. I’m happy to report that we are laying more pipes that we will turn on for the people of Retreat,” said Samuda.

The Brown’s Town to Retreat pipeline project will see the installation of four kilometres of four-inch PVC pipes and valves.

“There are a lot of communities outside of Brown’s Town that do not have running water, so this is a significant milestone for Retreat,” said Member of Parliament for St Ann North Eastern Krystal Lee, who added that the project should also improve the lives of people in other communities within the vicinity of the Minard Well.

“We look forward to when the Minard Well is fully completed and running and the old and leaking pipelines are changed out and we are harnessing more wata. We are actually looking to provide communities such as Philadelphia, Knapdale, Arberdeen, [and] Orange Hill with access to water,” said Lee.