CLAIMING that western Jamaica already has access to significant untapped water resources, Opposition spokesman on water and special projects Ian Hayles has called for a review of the Government’s US$425-million Western Water Resilience Project.

Making his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Hayles questioned whether the project — one of the largest water infrastructure investments currently being pursued by the Government — represents the most effective use of public resources.

The Western Water Resilience Project is being done in phases with the first phase valued at US$176 million.

Hayles, who is the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Western, noted that the initiative includes replacing transmission infrastructure between Montego Bay, the Great River Water Treatment Plant and the Queen of Spain/New Martha Brae Treatment Plant in Trelawny, while also targeting areas stretching westward through Lucea to the Negril resort corridor.

While acknowledging the need to improve water infrastructure and reduce losses within the system, Hayles argued that the Government has not adequately explained why such a significant investment is necessary when Westmoreland already possesses substantial water resources that could be developed.

“When the minister met with stakeholders in Negril in 2024, the first question I asked myself was: ‘Do we, the people of Westmoreland, have the water to expand the system for both residential and tourism consumption over the next 50 years?’ The answer was yes’,” Hayles told Parliament.

He pointed to the Roaring River and Cabarita River as examples of underutilised water sources that, he said, could collectively provide an additional 35 million gallons of water daily.

“The Roaring River can give you 15 extra million gallons daily, the Cabarita River can give you a high of 20 million gallons daily, bringing the daily available water from these two sources to a total of 35 million gallons extra, every day. So why then should we spend nearly half of a billion US dollars to give the people of Westmoreland water from Trelawny when water is already in Westmoreland?” he said.

Hayles suggested that the project’s design appears to be driven largely by plans for future tourism expansion along the western corridor.

He also argued that the Government should first undertake a comprehensive assessment of available water resources, existing demand and future needs before committing to projects of such scale.

Opposition spokesman on water and special projects Ian Hayles making his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

“I am therefore again calling on the Government to do a proper analysis of the available water supply, current demand for each parish, and estimates of what that demand will be in 50 years. This analysis should then be used to guide the policy direction of the NWC (National Water Commission) board and Government to determine capacity-building projects such as this one,” he said.

But speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, minister with responsibility for water Matthew Samuda scoffed at the claims by Hayles and defended the project.

“The project does not need further review. The project was endorsed by all the things said by the member [Hayles] yesterday (Tuesday) and we are certain that what we are doing is indeed in the best interest of western Jamaica with this water distribution main upgrade, with the upgrade of two water treatment plants at Martha Bray and Great River and yes with the construction of two new water treatment plants, one which will be at Roaring River, the other which will be at Rio Bueno,” said Samuda.

He pointed out that Hayles had argued that Jamaica needs an integrated set of water system and declared that the plan for Western Jamaica achieves that.

“This project interlinks the water systems — certainly this phase of Logwood in western Hanover — of Great River in eastern Hanover and goes as far as integrating the supply from Martha Bray. So he [Hayles] called for exactly what we are doing. But he left out… the Roaring River supply that is a subset of this project… which will see the development of a water treatment plant in Roaring River which will supply Savanna-la-Mar and will see, from the southwest end of the island the interconnection and you are starting to build your ring road [with] pipes coming around the tip of the island,” added Samuda.

According to Samuda, the Government will be building a new water treatment plant at Rio Bueno to facilitate the continued growth in northern Trelawny while there will be an interconnection of the systems from White River, Rio Bueno, Martha Bray, Great River, all the way to Roaring River.

“The population currently, and level of industrial activity whether service based in tourism or for development, and would not justify an additional water treatment plant at the Cabarita River. We simply don’t have enough consumers when we have completed this project to develop another water treatment plant,” declared Samuda in response to the claim by Hayles that the project may not fully address future demand in western Jamaica and his question of whether alternative investments could deliver greater benefits across the island.

According to Hayles, funds of that magnitude could instead be used to improve water infrastructure in several parishes, including St Ann, St Mary, Portland, St Thomas, St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth.

The Western Water Resilience Project forms part of the Government’s broader strategy to strengthen water security, improve distribution infrastructure and reduce non-revenue water losses in western Jamaica, where losses in some sections of the network are estimated to be in the range of 70 per cent.