ST JAMES, Jamaica — Residents of Discovery Point, Mount Boon and neighbouring communities in St Ann now have improved access to water through a new 0.8-kilometre pipeline commissioned as part of ongoing upgrades to the Rosemount water scheme.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, said investments exceeding $200 million have already been made to upgrade the water supply infrastructure serving residents.

He was speaking during the commissioning of the Discovery Point-to-Mount Boon pipeline project in Discovery Point, St Ann, on Friday, September 18.

Samuda said the newly commissioned phase, valued more than $50 million, included tank construction, pipeline installation and road-resurfacing works, describing it as a “significant investment in your (residents) quality of life”.

He reiterated the Government’s commitment to addressing water-supply challenges in the area, regardless of the level of investment required.

State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Member of Parliament for St Ann North Western, Krystal Lee, welcomed the improved water supply to communities benefiting from the project.

She noted that further expansion of the infrastructure is expected to extend the benefits to additional communities.

Lee commended the ministry and the National Water Commission (NWC) for their ongoing efforts to improve access to water across St Ann North Western.

Meanwhile, NWC Senior Engineer, Sean Long, said the 0.8-kilometre, 200-millimetre ductile iron pipeline linking Discovery Point and Mount Boon is part of broader upgrades to boost water production, strengthen infrastructure and improve water distribution to customers.

He reported that upgrades to the Rosemount production facility have doubled output to approximately 800,000 gallons of water per day.

Long noted that the increase in water production must be supported by infrastructure upgrades to move the additional supply through the network.

“This new pipeline will strengthen our ability to convey the additional water that we have harnessed from the well into our network, thus creating opportunities to provide access to more customers along and beyond the pipeline,” he stated.

Long advised that the new infrastructure complements pipeline works from Rosemount to Dunbarton, creating a more robust conveyance network for distributing water to customers in Discovery Bay and as far away as the Belle Air housing scheme.

He said the improvements underscore the importance of an integrated approach to water-supply development, where production, pumping, electrical infrastructure and transmission systems work together to deliver reliable service to customers.

— JIS