ST THOMAS, Jamaica- In a bid to clamp down on the scourge of water theft, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda, is encouraging Jamaicans to report individuals engaging in this illicit act.

Samuda, who was speaking during Wednesday’s commissioning of the Fraser Hill Storage Tank Replacement Project in Duckenfield, St Thomas, emphasised that water theft in Jamaica is a “chronic problem”.

“When your political representatives, your community leaders, your church leaders call and pressure the [National] Water Commission (NWC) and the allocations are made and the investment is made… we cannot afford, as a wider community, to allow theft after that,” he declared.

Samuda maintained that “where there is theft of water, we need you to tell NWC… call Crime Stop, if that’s where you’re comfortable; message your political leader, if that’s where you’re comfortable, [or] tell your pastor”.

“But we need your help to ensure that the network is not accessed improperly and illegally, because it is stealing water from you,” he added.

The minister told residents that the practice is “not just a harmless crime”, as thieves can damage the network when they access water illegally, “and then, that affects you”.

“So, someone who steals water from the NWC is stealing water and reliability of that water from you,” he added.

Meanwhile, Samuda, in noting that the NWC undertook capital projects in all parishes last year, highlighted new developments planned for fiscal year 2023/24.

“When we looked at the capital works that will be announced in the Prime Minister’s Budget later this year, I can safely tell you that, once again, not only will we be in every parish but we will be no more than five kilometres from almost every single township in Jamaica with capital works this year,” he informed.

The minister further stated that Jamaicans will see increases in the NWC’s capital spend, as the entity realises the gains from some of its projects.

Additionally, the NWC intends to roll out its non-revenue water (NRW) thrust nationally, this year.

“This will change how we distribute water and bring it into the 21st century. It will be with modern piping infrastructure; it will come with the appropriate pressure monitoring infrastructure to understand when you’re over pumping or underpumping, and ensure that at the times of least use, you’re not overpumping,” the minister outlined.

He further indicated that the entity will be “bringing the new modern meters, which [will] adequately and properly capture water usage at the household and business levels”.

Consequently, Jamaicans will know what they’re using and be billed for what they do use, Samuda said.

NWC Regional Manager for Kingston, St Andrew and St Thomas, Dr Phillipa Campbell-Francis, implored residents of St Thomas and, by extension, all of the commission’s customers, to improve on their bill payments.

“We want to serve you better. In doing so, we want to provide a system that encourages persons to register legitimately for their water service and are happy to pay for water delivered to them. So, as we improve service, we’re asking our customers to improve payments,” Dr Campbell-Francis said.

“The vision for this company is that, as your preferred water supply provider… an active partner in nation-building, we continue to work to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business,” she added.