KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says it is undertaking extensive rebuilding works to restore electricity to the Roaring River National Water Commission (NWC) Pump, which supplies water to approximately 50,000 Westmoreland residents.

According to the JPS in a media release on Tuesday, the energisation of the lines leading to the pump is also expected to restore power to more than 1,700 customers across sections of Westmoreland.

“We understand the inconvenience and potential health challenges caused by the absence of water. While relatively few JPS customers will be restored despite the extensive work being done here, the greater benefit lies in getting water to the residents. This is consistent with our restoration strategy of giving priority to critical services such as water, hospitals and telecommunication,” said Hugh Grant, JPS president and chief executive officer (CEO).

Crew members from Canadian contracting firm, Holland Power Services, are assisted by a digger derrick as they dig holes for the replanting of several JPS poles uprooted during the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Grant said the company is giving top priority to the restoration of power to the Roaring River Pump because of the significance of this facility to the parish of Westmoreland.

The effort involves the rebuilding of over 10 miles of electricity lines from the power source at the JPS Paradise Substation to NWC’s Roaring River pump.

“Several roadways were washed away, and others were left waterlogged due to flooding from Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Because of the catastrophic damage, we have to redesign routes, relocate infrastructure and rebuild entire sections of line for a more resilient network. Over 300 electricity poles are being replanted along the corridor. To complete the rebuilding, more than 100 line workers have been deployed, including overseas and local contractors working alongside JPS teams,” Grant shared.

Kenyatta Campbell, operations area manager at JPS, underscored the challenges being faced by the restoration crews.

Several bucket trucks seen on Carawina Road in Westmoreland as JPS continues several kilometers of repair work along the power line section leading to the National Water Commission’s Roaring River Pump. The energization of the lines aims to restore water supply to approximately 50,000 residents and electricity to over 1700 JPS customers

“This is some of the most difficult work our teams have had to undertake during the restoration process. We are relocating poles from areas that have now become swamps to more solid ground. This has taken us into extremely challenging terrain, with crews facing rocky soil conditions in newly identified locations where poles have to be erected. This requires specialised equipment tailored for rock digging,” Campbell said.

He added that once completed, the works will restore electricity to Petersfield, Shrewsbury, Carawina, Waterworks, Dean’s Valley, Petersfield High School, and surrounding sections of the Petersfield community, while also enabling the re-energisation of the Roaring River NWC Pump.

According to JPS, this phase of work is part of the “last mile” of restoration and is among the most challenging, as it requires major rebuilding while restoring electricity to a smaller number of customers, compared to earlier stages.

In addition to work being done across Westmoreland, the “last mile” includes continuing efforts to rebuild the power system and onboard customers in St Elizabeth, Hanover, St James and Trelawny.

In the meantime, JPS is reminding customers in the affected areas to engage a licensed electrician to inspect their premises and ensure that internal wiring and electrical systems are safe and ready to receive electricity once restoration is complete.