KINGSTON, Jamaica – Riversdale and surrounding communities in St Catherine will be getting potable water from a $150-million investment, according to Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda.

Making the disclosure following a tour of water systems in the area on August 10, Samuda said Riversdale has “suffered disproportionately”, and through “good lobbying” from the Member of Parliament, Kerensia Morrison, the project will get under way in the next Budget cycle.

He reported that the water and engineering sources have been identified, and “we will provide potable water, regularly, reliably, and in the volume that is needed in that space”.

Noting that the works will be done in phases, Senator Samuda said in the meantime, preliminary work will be done to prepare the sites and “we will ensure that in the next Budget cycle, that project will be one of the capital works for the National Water Commission”.

Minister Samuda also disclosed that the community will be one of the targeted areas under the Government’s programme to empower rural communities with 50,000 ‘black’ tanks, as secondary storage methods over the next five years to significantly improve the water resilience of the communities.

Meanwhile, Samuda said the “severe drought” is affecting many of the communities and support will shortly be provided for “increased trucking” of water.

He also urged residents across the island to continue to “conserve and use this precious resource as best as possible”.

For her part, Morrison said the Riversdale community is “most deserving of water, and I am a happy Member of Parliament.

“Close to 20,000 people will be served by this development. I am grateful for this,” she said.

-JIS