ST JAMES, Jamaica — The National Water Commission (NWC) is looking to increase the supply of potable water islandwide from 78 to 85 per cent.

This is according to Prime Minister, Andrew Holness who was addressing Friday’s ground-breaking ceremony for the White Hall to New Market Water Supply Project in New Market, St Elizabeth at the Happy Grove Primary and Infant School.

“The objective of the NWC is to run their pipes into more communities, past more yards, so that you can connect to it. So the objective of the NWC is to expand their footprint from 78 per cent to 85 per cent.

“Now that’s not an easy task. It took us over 100 years of making investments in pipes and water supply systems to get to 78 per cent. But the NWC also has another objective, which is to increase the reliability and efficiency of the service,” the prime minister stated.

The White Hall to New Market water supply project is being spearheaded and funded by the NWC at a cost of some $342 million.

In his remarks, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda, indicated that the project was one of five being done in the parish.

“We are investing at an unprecedented rate in the people of St Elizabeth, and it would not have been appropriate to allow the community of New Market to not benefit from that investment. [So] this afternoon, we formally commence the construction phase of the project,” Samuda said.

He informed that the project includes infrastructure work at the well in the community, installation of two major relief stations and three supply tanks, and connecting pipes laid under the NWC’s Major Infrastructure Development Project (MIDP) between 2018 and 2020, with the programmed installation of an additional 1 1/2 kilometres of six-inch pipes.

Minister Samuda also assured the residents that the project will be undertaken comprehensively and expeditiously.

It will benefit some 8,000 residents of White Hall, New Market and neighbouring communities.

— JIS