The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has passed a resolution to engage the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, the Scientific Research Council and accredited laboratories to test water quality in the capital city.

The decision came in the form of a resolution tabled and passed at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the local government authority amid concerns about transparency on the issue by the National Water Commission (NWC) and its absence from public health and sanitation meetings.

The KSAMC says it aims to verify whether the water being distributed by NWC meets established public health and safety standards and complies with international quality benchmarks — particularly those affecting food processing and trade.

“It is public knowledge that the NWC has withdrawn from sharing water quality reports and from sending representatives to the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s Public Health and Sanitation Committee,” Councillor Jesse James Clarke (People’s National Party, Trafalgar Division), who first raised the issue in April, said at the meeting.

“It was only after a particular media house applied to the Access to Information provisions and received the March 2025 and April 2025 water quality results [that] they were made public and the KSAMC was notified by the NWC,” he added.

According to Clarke, the NWC’s absence from public health and sanitation meetings has raised questions about transparency that need to be answered following the release of the reports.

“These two reports generated several questions that could have been asked and answered in real time at the Public Health and Sanitation Committee if the NWC had not stopped sending their representatives… For example, which sites tested positive for faecal coliforms and the communities affected? Were the residents notified? How many samples were taken from each site each month for testing?” Clarke argued.

He said that public health relies on early intervention and transparency, and that the KSAMC, as the local board of health, is legally obligated to take action to protect residents.

“This resolution is before us today to ensure that the KSAMC has the support of the councillors to use appropriate organisations to carry out testing of the water being provided by the NWC to ensure that the water quality results can be generated in a timely manner and the residents informed of any adverse findings immediately,” he said.

“We are still open to collaborating with the NWC to improve the current vulnerabilities in the water quality in rural St Andrew. However, the current lack of cooperation cannot be allowed to prevent the KSAMC from executing its mandate in ensuring safe drinking water is being distributed to its customers,” he added.

Councillor Chrishina Richards (PNP, Brandon Hill Division), who seconded the motion, described the resolution as a necessary step toward restoring public trust.

“When a company finds out that there is an issue with a product on the market, the public is informed and action is taken; the product is recalled or the public is advised to hold it. Consumers have a right to know the quality of the water that they are consuming and should be notified of any steps they need to take to ensure their safety and well-being,” she said.

Richards emphasised the importance of openness and accountability in public service, especially on matters related to health. She noted that public trust is essential, warning that withholding vital information could undermine citizens’ confidence in those tasked with protecting their well-being.

“We are a developing country and in order for us to move to a developed country, we must uphold certain standards and hold ourselves accountable. What concerns the citizens of this country is our public knowledge. Critical information affecting the public should not be withheld because that can breach the trust and confidence of the people. We need residents to have trust in our leadership and we need to communicate with them whether things are favourable or unfavourable,” she said.

The resolution follows tension over water safety between the KSAMC and NWC over the past two months.

In late April, Clarke accused the NWC of withholding March and April test results, asserting: “We are calling on them to make public the findings of the most recent testing… We didn’t get an excuse, and there shouldn’t be any excuse.”

The NWC responded, attributing its absence from recent meetings to “unforeseen challenges” and emphasising its readiness to comply, provided results were “presented in the correct manner”.

Furthermore, the NWC strongly contested Clarke’s claims, with Deputy Mayor Delroy Williams accusing him of spreading “misinformation and panic” and branding the resolution a “political distraction”.

The NWC also stated that its operations “adhere strictly to the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the World Health Organization”.