ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – The National Water Commission (NWC) officially broke ground Thursday on a $148 million Santa Cruz By-pass Mains Replacement Project in St Elizabeth, marking the latest phase of the broader Santa Cruz Water Supply Improvement Programme.

The project will replace the ageing three-inch cast iron pipeline installed over fifty years ago with a durable six-inch ductile iron pipeline.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, was on site for the upgrade, which is billed to significantly enhance flow consistency, system integrity, and water pressure for approximately 1,200 customers — equivalent to 300 households — across the Santa Cruz By-pass and adjoining communities, including New River, Brighton, Friendship Street, Doctor Rock, and surrounding areas.

Completion is scheduled for November 2026.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Samuda emphasised the importance of the project:

“The Santa Cruz pipes, laid in the 1970s, are simply past their useful life. Today is a major milestone for a project that matters to the future of Santa Cruz. We are investing just under $150 million in your water supply, and I want to assure you that the contractors will ensure you have a Merry Christmas in this area once the project is completed.”

NWC Project Engineer Neville Green highlighted that “installing the durable six-inch ductile iron pipeline will allow us to safely increase system pressure and optimise distribution without recurring bursts. This upgrade will drastically reduce Non-Revenue Water losses, ensuring that the water treated by NWC reaches consumers’ taps rather than leaking into the ground.”

The NWC also assured residents that once construction is complete, sections of the roadway will be paved to restore smooth access.

Samuda further addressed recent public discussions regarding the NWC’s capital budget execution, clarifying that the commission spent 94 per cent of its capital budget last fiscal year, with the remaining six per cent disbursed in April following delays related to Hurricane Melissa.

He noted that a recent performance audit found no allegations of malfeasance or corruption, and that the NWC has already begun implementing several management recommendations.