The National Water Commission (NWC) has started medium-term works to address the issue of discoloured water flowing from the pipelines of residents in Wickie Wackie, St Andrew.

The company, in a statement on Saturday, said that based on an assessment conducted a few weeks ago, it identified that the issue is a result of an aged segment of pipeline in the affected area that extends for approximately 1.5 kilometres.

The NWC said that the team undertook plans to replace the entire pipeline and upgrade the flushing mechanism to enhance the system’s ability to manage and maintain water quality more effectively.

The company stated that the recent impact on customers’ access to quality water supply has led it to expedite these plans with hopes of completing medium-term solutions by January 31.

These works include the immediate replacement of the worst section of the pipelines to temporarily alleviate the situation, the flushing of the network, and the mobilisation of the medium-term plans to complete the overall pipeline replacement.

Acting vice-president of the NWC, Herman Fagan, stressed that the company is dedicated to taking swift and decisive action to address this kind of occurrence.

“Our ongoing efforts include both immediate responses and long-term infrastructure improvements to uphold the quality of service our customers expect,” he said in the statement.

“The team will continue to monitor the area for more rigorous quality control measures to ensure that our customers receive clean and safe water.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers in Wickie Wackie and remain committed to providing updates as the situation progresses.”

The NWC’s response follows last week’s Jamaica Observer report of residents expressing anger and frustration about having to pay for contaminated water supply.

Natshon Edwards, a resident who highlighted the issue, said that the problem started almost two years ago and has significantly impacted his livelihood.

“They told us it is not fit for consumption because there is no chlorine in it, so we shouldn’t consume it at any time at all. They said it’s not good. What they started to do is to come and bleed the hydrant here, so they would come, probably like every three weeks, and run out the water,” he told the Sunday Observer last week.

Edwards shared that he had to purchase a tank to get access to clean water, as well as continue to pay for the contaminated water supply. He added that the water was highly contaminated in the mornings, and he would have to let the pipe run for hours before he had access to clean water.

Other residents also shared that the water itches their skin when it makes contact, and they could not use it to wash white clothes because it would leave a stain.

One woman shared that she had to purchase a water filtration system for her house, and even then, the water would still be contaminated.

They said that the NWC did flush the hydrant in the area, but that only provided temporary relief.

Edwards, while providing an update on the community’s current situation, thanked the Sunday Observer for highlighting the issue.

He said that following the story, a team from the NWC visited the area and conducted a further assessment of the pipelines.

“When they came to my house, they disconnected the meter and ran the water supply that was coming into my house, and they asked me to catch some of that water in a little clear glass, and when they [caught] it, it’s still the same quality that you guys [the Sunday Observer] saw when you came there,” said Edwards.

“They said what they can do in the meantime is that they should try and flush the hydrant like three times a week, but the issue will not be resolved until the pipes are actually replaced,” he said.

He noted that he was assured by the NWC representative that the matter would be resolved and expressed gratitude.

“The story did cause a knee-jerk reaction, and I appreciate that. I hope that they [the NWC] will pull through and do what they say they are supposed to do,” he said.